Creative Writing
by Amnestyyy
Summary: Elsa and Anna are forced to work together for a Creative Writing course. While Anna is trying to make the best of things, Elsa is slow to warm up to her. Nevertheless, Anna doesn't stop trying, and becomes even more motivated over time. Elsanna/non-incest.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen. I would like to, yes, but I do not.**

**Warning: Elsanna (unrelated) coming up. If you don't like it, please be respectful about it and stop reading after this sentence.**

**So this is the first fanfic I'm posting on here, and my first Elsanna story all together. Please bear with me while I learn the ropes. Any constructive criticism is more than welcome, either via review or PM. Enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

It was starting to snow outside. Elsa couldn't help staring out of the window longingly, wishing she could walk amongst the falling flakes, rather than sitting in the overheated classroom. She didn't even want to do Creative Writing, but all the other options had already been unavailable.

_That's what I get for being lazy and not enrolling as soon as I could,_ she thought to herself as the teacher walked into the room.

"Good morning, children," he started with a monotone voice. "It always pleases me to see new faces here. It always makes me happy to teach those who are interested in creative writing. However, since this is an official course, and you will be receiving credits on successfully completing it, I need to explain a few things. First of all: attendance is compulsory. You are allowed to miss out on two sessions each period, and the course will consist of two periods. One up until Christmas break, and the second running from January to March."

Elsa rolled her eyes and directed her eyes to the snow again. _That means I'll actually have to be here twice a week for those five credits I still need_.

"Secondly: you will be working in pairs throughout the course. You will not be allowed to choose your own partner; I've already compiled a list. Under normal circumstances, it is not possible to switch partners. Only if there are very good reasons I will take requests into consideration. Finally, over the course of these two periods, you will need to write a narrative. The only constraint in this assignment is the genre, which will be randomly assigned. Furthermore, every week, you will need to hand in one short narrative, approximately five-hundred words. I still need to discuss the size of the final assignment with Mrs. Elinor, so she will let you know on Thursday."

_Thursday. It is only Monday. I still have the entire week to get through before the weekend. _Elsa sighed audibly, but no one seemed to pay attention.

"Now, for the pairs. Hubert Fowlis will pair up with Fergus MacGuffin. Jasmine Anderson will be working with Robin Ryder. Elsa Arendelle and Anna Oaken will work together..."

Elsa barely registered the name of her assigned partner, but released a slight groan nonetheless. Whoever it was, she didn't like it. She would much rather work alone, but she knew that the teacher would not find 'an irrational dislike towards humans in general' to be a good reason. She was torn from her thoughts when the classroom was suddenly filled with the sound of chairs scraping over the floor as students moved over to their partners.

When she heard someone land on the empty chair to her left, she turned her eyes towards her for a split-second, before staring out of the window again. _Oh, how I'd love to just be out there_. The red-haired girl next to her, however, seemed to be perfectly happy being where she was.

"Hi! My name's Anna. But you know that of course. Otherwise I wouldn't have sat down here, would I? You _are_ Elsa, right? Mr. Purnell pointed at you when I asked, but then again, he may have been pointing at the table behind you. But no, they're already a team, and they're both guys, so they wouldn't be called Elsa."

Elsa remained mute, never averting her gaze from the window. She found Anna to be too happy and too loud, and she already knew these two periods would end up being a disaster for her. Anna, however, did not seem to get the hint yet.

"What year are you in? I think you've been here longer than I have. I'm in my second year. So then you must be in your third, or fourth, right?"

Great. Just what she needed. A child as her partner. _Now, now, Elsa. Don't be too harsh, you're only two years older_, a little voice in head whispered.

"Hey! Are you even listening?" Anna asked loudly, waving a hand before Elsa's face. This, if nothing else, made Elsa realize that ignoring Anna would not solve the problem. She turned away from the window, staring at the table before her instead. She took a deep breath, but before she could say anything, the teacher called for attention again.

"Good, good. You've all had some time to get to know each other. I suppose it is time to start appointing the genres. I've written several genres on several pieces of paper, which I have folded. One of each pair can come up here and pick one. That way, it will be fair, random, and a surprise to everyone!"

Elsa felt Anna turning towards her and knew what she was going to ask. Rather than verbally answering the question, she waved her hand in a dismissive motion, signalling Anna that she could go and get a genre. The girl quickly returned, giddy with anticipation, and Elsa closed her eyes when Anna opened the piece of paper and squealed softly.

"We got romance, Elsa! Isn't that great?"

Elsa shook her head slightly and turned towards the window again. She sucked in a sharp breath before finally talking. "Listen up. I'm not here by choice. This was the only course still available when I got round to enrolling. I'd much rather be doing something physical or outdoors, but alas, I'm stuck here. I'll do what I need to do to pass this course, but don't expect us to become friends."

Elsa heard a strange sound next to her, for which she couldn't really pinpoint the right definition. It sounded like a combination of a sigh, a sob and a grunt. Before Anna could word and actual answer to Elsa's, admittedly rather rude, comment, Mr. Purnell started talking again.

"Okay class. Normally, this session lasts ninety minutes, but since there is nothing we can do just yet, at least until I've discussed the course content with Mrs. Elanor, you are free to go off now. Make sure to be here on Thursday, and remember: compulsory attendance!"

Elsa grabbed her bag and waltzed out of the classroom, not bothering to say anything to anyone. Most people were used to that by now. Elsa only ever spoke to her friends, with whom she formed a tight clique. She was aware of the fact that everyone looked at her as she paced to the cafeteria, but she was used to that as well. She _was_ one of the most popular people around, after all. Besides, men seemed to have trouble keeping their eyes away from her anyway.

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><p>The cafeteria was unusually quiet, seeing as most people were still in their classes, but Elsa found her friends at their usual table, and joined them with a deep, and somewhat theatrical, sigh.<p>

"What's the matter, dear?" Merida immediately asked, all the while trying to straighten her hair.

"Where were you anyway? We've been here for half an hour," Hans immediately followed up.

"Two questions, one answer: Creative Writing class."

Both Hans and Merida cringed a little.

"Why did you choose that?" Merida asked with a frown.

"Didn't have a choice. I was, erm, a little late with enrolling."

Merida smiled slightly. "Well, I guess it could still be worse. They could force you to-"

"We have to work in pairs," Elsa interrupted her. "Pre-determined pairs, even."

Hans couldn't help but laugh heartily. "Our Ice Queen needs to work with someone else. Who did they pair you up with?"

"Some girl named Anna something."

Hans grin spread even wider. "Anna Oaken? That red-headed, pig-tailed junior?"

"Yeah, that's the one..."

"Well, I wouldn't mind spending some time with her. _Preferable alone_. Although, I guess and audience wouldn't bother me too mu-"

A sharp jab from Merida's elbow shut Hans up. "You're disgusting, Hans. You can only think about one thing, and one thing only."

Elsa couldn't help but laugh a little, knowing that Merida's comment was very true. "So, what extra-curricular courses are you doing?"

Merida perked up at the question. "I'm doing archery! I have the first lesson tomorrow."

Hans shrugged a little. "I play for the fencing team, so I don't have to do anything. I heard Tiana talking about her new position in the cheerleading team, Mulan joined the chess club. Gaston already got all of his credits, and I think I heard Peter saying he was going to tutor in maths."

Elsa sighed again. "I guess I really should have enrolled sooner."

"When _did_ you enrol?"

A faint blush crept up the Elsa's cheeks. "Well, yesterday, to be perfectly frank."

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><p>Anna was walking home through the freshly fallen snow, pulling her coat tightly around her body. She didn't mind the cold per say, but she would still be happy enough in the warmth of her own room. Right now, however, the cold didn't seem to bother her as much as usual, her mind instead lingering on her Creative Writing classes.<p>

_On Elsa_, she corrected herself silently, trying to be as truthful to herself as possible.

_Elsa Arrendelle. The so-called Ice Queen. And boy, did she deserve that title. She hasn't even looked at me once during the entire class. Admittedly, class didn't last very long today, but still. But I won't give up. I'll just have to try harder Thursday. Or maybe she'll realize we can't work together without communication. I mean, I know she's a senior and all, but that doesn't allow her to act like this. She have more than three years on me. _

As Anna walked into her apartment, she was surprised to find her roommate flopped across the couch. "Kristoff, aren't you supposed to be working or something?"

A load grunt escaped from his mouth. "Not today. I'm ill, and it's too cold. How was your day?"

"Strange," Anna muttered absentmindedly. Leaving it at that, she walked into her own bedroom, shut the door behind her, and dropped down on her bed. _Yes, I'll definitely clear things up on Thursday_, she thought to herself. _Definitely._

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><p><strong>Author's note: Obviously, this is only the first chapter, but is should give you a decent enough idea on what the story is going to be like. Eventually, there will definitely be fluff, maybe even smut, but that depends on the reviewsPMs I get. So, please do review, and if you have ideas or wishes for future chapters, be sure to send me a PM so I might be able to use them!**


	2. Chapter 2

**For those that read/followed/reviewed my previous chapter: thanks a million! Writing becomes a lot more fun when people are actually interested in your results. **

**Also, thanks to Flancooken97 for bringing the following to my attention: I totally overlooked the differences between American, British, and various other schooling systems, especially with regard to the different years, probably due to my own country applying yet another way of handling this issue. So, in order to keep things simple here, I'll retcon the info in the previous chapters and try to get it right this time. Apologies to the people who were irked.**

**Warning: This fic contains Elsanna. If you don't like it, please be respectful about it and stop reading.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen. It's Disney's property.**

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

Anna bursted into the classroom at the exact moment the bell rang, and she mentally scolded herself. Creative Writing was the final class of today, but Anna had felt the need to make some preparations during the previous break, and now she stood in front of the class, a deep crimson creeping across her face as the students looked at her.

"Glad to see you've joined us, Ms. Oaken," Mr. Purnell remarked sarcastically. "Now please take your seat next to your partner so Mrs. Elinor can get started."

Anna quietly made her way to her assigned seat while a middle-aged woman cleared her throat. "Well, as I was saying, the final assignment will need to be somewhere between ten-thousand and twenty-thousand words. I know that sounds like rather a lot, but you have plenty of time to work on it. Entries with less than the minimum requirement of words will not be considered for grading. As for the smaller, weekly assignments: they will be explained on Monday by Mr. Purnell, and you hand them in on Thursday. The only exception is this week, since you'll be getting your weekly assignment today, so you will have a full week to work on it. Is that all understood?"

A few of the students bobbed their heads or muttered in the affirmative, which seemed to be enough for the teachers. "As for this week's assignment: each pair will pick a fairy tale of their choosing, and rewrite the ending. Now, you're relatively free to do so in any way you want, but we'd like you to try and make it into something more controversial. You can spend this session on discussing plans with your partner, and maybe even get some writing done."

The entire class started muttering softly, and after a few minutes, the room was filled with sounds of excited voices. Anna sat staring at the blackboard silently, waiting for Elsa to turn to her. When that did not seem to work, she turned towards her, looking at the long platinum-blonde hair and her elegant pose.

"Hey, Elsa. We should probably discuss what we're going to do. I was thinking- Are you even listening?"

Elsa released a sigh, but gave no other indication of having heard what Anna was saying. Anna's eyes darkened for a moment, and she clamped her teeth down on her bottom lip as a plan started forming in her head. Without hesitation, she reached for Elsa's ear and flicked it harshly, causing her to spin around.

"What the hell was that?"

Anna blushed slightly under the piercing gaze coming from the icy blue eyes. "Well, you didn't really leave me a lot of options to get your attention," Anna replied indignantly while reaching for her bag. "And I know you're very angry with me now, but I brought chocolate. You know, to share... if we are talking now."

Elsa glared at her for a few more seconds, before closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose with a deep sigh. "I suppose you're right, I really didn't leave you much choice. Now give me some of that chocolate, and I might forgive you for flicking my ear like that."

Anna's face brightened a little while she pulled a box out of her bag and placed them on the table between them. "So, which fairy tale did you want to change?"

"What?" Elsa replied dryly, looking as if she had no idea what Anna was talking about.

"The weekly assignment? Making a fairy tale ending more controversial?"

"Oh. I guess I wasn't really paying attention," Elsa muttered, still not really looking very interested. "You pick something."

Anna frowned for a moment. "How about we divide the weekly assignments between the two of us? You clearly want to keep the talking between us to a minimum, and that way we'll only have to work together on the main assignment. Besides, we'd probably get more done that way. As an added bonus, I'll even deal with this week's assignment," Anna finished with a soft sigh.

Elsa saw the logic in the reasoning and nodded quietly, taking one of the chocolates from the box. To her surprise, Anna pulled out a pen and notepad and started scribbling, not paying any more attention to her. She redirected her gaze to the window again, watching a group of first years chucking snowballs at each other.

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><p>The Creative Writing class had seemed endless, but Elsa knew that she was partially to blame for that herself. If she had actually done something, rather than just stare outside, time might have passed a little quicker. Luckily, she had no more classes today, and after dropping some of her books in her locker, she started making her way to the exit.<p>

As she walked through the quiet corridors, she couldn't help thinking back. _Anna seems as good a partner I could have gotten. At least now I will only have to do one assignment every two weeks. And she brought chocolate. Maybe I should've helped her out a bit more, though. _

Her mind quickly went back to the few times she had actually removed her attention from the window. Mostly to check the time, but she glanced towards her partner a few times as well. Most of the time, Anna had been scribbling in her notebook, one hand playing with one of her braids and her tongue stuck between her lips as she worked diligently.

"Come on, Freckle-Face! If you want it back, you'll have to try a little harder!" a harsh voice spoke from around the corner. Elsa sighed in exasperation as she was torn from her thoughts. As she turned around, she noticed two bulky guys holding a red coat in the air. It's owner, considerably smaller than the aggressors, didn't stand a chance of retrieving her property.

Elsa immediately recognized Anna, her signature red braids making it hard to mistake her for anyone else. She recognized the two boys as well, although she didn't know their names. They were players in one of the sports teams, and quite popular. Not as popular as Elsa and her clique, though. As she watched the men tormenting Anna, she couldn't help but cringe at the hierarchical nature of her surroundings.

Elsa knew that she was lucky to have befriended Hans, Merida, and the others. Together, they formed the top of the food chain, and everyone respected and adored them, even though they mostly kept to themselves. Or maybe that was the reason entirely – they never felt the need to exert their dominance over others, since other's already did that for them. The guys that were now in front of her were still high up the chain, probably only one or two tiers below Elsa. She knew that Hans occasionally talked to them, despite them being third years, a year lower than Hans himself.

"Hey Gingerhead! If you want your coat back, you'll have to come and get it!"

"Ha! Like a second year wimp could possibly take anything from us!"

"Leave her alone."

It took Elsa a second to realize that it had actually been her own voice that spoke those words. In fact, she only realized when all three heads turned towards her. Her voice had sounded flat, as it usually did, but the guys stared at her, their eyes wide, as if she had been screaming.

"Just leave her alone," she repeated, this time intentionally.

Without a second thought, they both turned around and started walking away, not even looking back. Elsa took the remaining steps to reach Anna. "Are you alright?" she asked, making sure not to make her voice sound too concerned.

When Anna looked up at her and nodded silently, Elsa took a good look at the girl's face for the first time. Her forehead and cheeks were riddled with freckles, though the fiery hair made them seem less provocative. In fact, the word adorable crossed Elsa's mind before anything else. The most striking feature, however, were Anna's eyes – coloured a strange mix between blue and green.

"They took my coat."

It took a while before the words sank in, but then Elsa realized that the bullies had indeed walked off without handing Anna her winter coat back. Before she realized what she was doing, Elsa had shrugged out of her jacket and held it out to Anna. "It's cold outside. Here, take this. I'll get your coat back to you tomorrow," she sighed, disinterest still resounding in her voice.

Anna took the jacket without saying anything. Elsa just walked away into the direction the men had taken to. She knew she only had to tell them to hand her the coat. They wouldn't dare make a scene when confronted with the _Ice Queen_. No one ever did.

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><p>Anna was completely dumbfounded. Not by the fact that those two gorillas had taken her coat away from her as she took it from her locker. She had gotten used to such pranks a while ago. Not that she was bullied often, no, not at all. Just every once in a while, when there were no other victims to be found.<p>

No, Anna was dumbfounded because Elsa had interrupted them. The voice that drew their attention had been remarkably quiet, but yet there was no way it could have been missed. Even though Elsa had spoken as if she was talking to someone right next to her, her voice had been full of authority. For a moment, the bullies had tensed up, after which they had simply turned around and walked away.

In fact, Anna was so dumbfounded, she didn't even object when they took her coat with them. Elsa, the girl that had shown zero interest in her during their classes, was suddenly defending her. Her mental state only got worse when she finally realized the loss of her coat, and Elsa had taken off her jacket and held it out to her. Anna just stood there, clutching the icy-blue jacket. Once her mind told her to thank the older girl, and Anna snapped out of her daze, the blonde had already walked off.

_What just happened?_

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><p>Elsa sighed as she leant against the lockers. She'd much rather sit in the cafeteria, but the chance of missing Anna there was too large. She looked at the red coat in her hands – she hadn't had any trouble retrieving it yesterday – as she sighed deeply. She rubbed her forehead vigorously, trying to get rid of the throbbing headache.<p>

Her sleep had been interrupted by her dreams repeatedly, something she wasn't used to. She could still recall the eyes that had been staring at her from the dark recesses of her dreams. Not necessarily hostile, but still intense enough to make her uncomfortable, which in turn woke her up. After having had the same dream three times, she had booted up her laptop. Without knowing exactly why, she had browsed Wikipedia's List of Colours, trying to find a name for that odd shade of those eyes. After a while, she had settled on teal. Yes, the eyes were definitely teal. After a while, however, she found that knowing the name of the colour did not keep the eyes away.

Elsa quickly snapped to attention when she saw Anna's fiery hair turning the corner. The girl didn't seem to notice her, talking busily with one of her friends, until she almost walked into her.

"Elsa!" she yelped, audibly excited.

"Anna," Elsa replied dryly, her voice not betraying any emotion. "I figured you'd like your coat back."

Anna eagerly accepted it, and quickly rummaged around in her bag, eventually pulling out Elsa's jacket. "Then I guess I won't be needing this one anymore!" she smiled happily. "And sorry about yesterday. I should have thanked you, but I'm not really sure what came over me."

"Don't worry about it," Elsa replied absent-mindedly as she took hold of her jacket. Without wasting any more words, she turned around and walked away.

_Why did I dream about Anna's eyes?_ a tiny voice in her head whispered as she walked away.

_Why indeed?_

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><p><strong>Author's note: Well, that's the second chapter! I hope you'll all enjoy it :) Please do feel free to leave reviewsPMs with feedback or ideas – they're always much appreciated! I feel like I'm forgetting to say something here, but I don't remember what (obviously...) So I guess that wasn't really that important anyway.  
><strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Once again, thank you all for your favs, follows and reviews! They mean a lot to me, and you people are all awesome. If you think I should, or should not, go a certain way with the story, feel free to let me know. Because, really, I'm just writing and I have no idea where my mind is going to take this! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen. I think I may already have said so, but there you have it...**

**Warning: Unrelated Elsanna coming up. If that's not your cup of tea, you should probably stop reading right about now.**

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><p>Monday had come round again, and Elsa was feeling considerably better than she had on Friday. The teal eyes had plagued her dreams a few more times after she had returned Anna's coat, but they became less frequent as the weekend passed by. Right now, she was walking towards her class, Hans, Merida, and Mulan walking next to her, basking in the admiration of the other students. Elsa could have sworn that even some of the teachers gawked at them.<p>

"So, Els, what's your next class?" Hans asked, sending a handsome smile to some of the girls looking at them.

"Creative Writing." Elsa's voice was barely audible as she mumbled the answer.

"Oh, with the cute redhead? I heard you stood up for her last week. She must've gotten to you."

"Did not," Elsa growled. "What else was I supposed to do? Just walk by and let them have her way? That would have made working with Anna a bit awkward, don't you think?"

"Oh, First name basis, eh?" Hans joked. He pretended to wince when Elsa elbowed him, but she knew that he'd hardly felt it.

Merida chuckled a little. "Leave Elsa alone, Hans. At least she's talking to her now."

"I'd like to do more than tal- Ouch! Damn you Mulan! Can't a guy just-"

"No, a guy cannot," Mulan laughed. "You just stay away from the children."

"She's Legal!"

"Doesn't mean you should pursue it," Mulan immediately interjected.

Elsa sighed. "This is me, guys. I'll see you later!" she waved as she turned into the classroom.

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><p>Anna wasn't sure what she should do. Well, she had to attend class, that was clear. But how should she act towards Elsa? Keep being friendly, as she had been trying so far, or should she just give in and let Elsa have the peace and quiet she seemed to crave so much.<p>

_Well, I still have to work on that weekly assignmen, so it's not like I actually NEED to talk to her anyway_, Anna pondered as she sauntered into the classroom and sat down next to Elsa.

"Hey."

_Wait, what? Did Elsa just…_

"Hey me?"

Elsa cocked an eyebrow in her direction. "Yes?"

"Oh! Hey! Does this mean we're talking?"

Elsa's face did not betray any emotions as she seemed to consider the question. "I suppose so. At least for the duration of this course. Otherwise, those assignments are going to be a little tough to finish."

"Right! It's not like you need to talk to me outside the course anyway. You have plenty of other friends. Not that I'm a friend. Well, not per say, at least. I mean, you have Hans and Mulan and Merida and Peter and so yeah. Not that I would know! Well, I would, but not in a creepy way! And I don't need to talk to you outside the course either! Oh, uh, I don't mean that I don't want to- It's just that I have friends too. Besides you. Because you're not a friend. I think? I'm rambling, aren't I? I'll stop now."

Anna had to put her hand in front of her mouth to physically stop herself from continuing the deluge of words she had been pouring out, hardly even taking a breath in between. She could have been mistaken, but for a split-second, she thought she saw a smile creep around Elsa's lips. But it was probably just her imagination. The Ice Queen never smiled.

"Right," Elsa responded eventually, as flat and curt as always. "Did you work on the weekly text yet?"

Anna nodded frantically, before reigning her enthousiasm in somewhat. "Yes. It's not done yet, though. Since we weren't talking, I figured I'd work on it now. But we can also discuss the main assignment first if you want?"

Elsa nodded slowly, her eyes on the door as Mr. Purnell walked in.

"Good morning, class. You've already received your assignment for this week, so you can work on that if you want. Or you can take the time to discuss your plans for the main assignment. I'll be here for anyone with questions or problems."

Elsa sighed. _What's the use of compulsory attendance if you're not actually going to teach? We could work on these assignments at home just as well. Better even, probably_.

"So," she started after a while. "Any brilliant ideas for the assignment?"

"Not really," Anna replied silently. "Well, we have romance genre… So we could choose to do historical romance, contemporary romance, or even make it some kind of sci-fi romance story. Though, I'm not sure if that is allowed, really."

"Preferences?"

Anna's eyes grew a little wider. "You're saying you're letting me choose?"

Elsa rolled her eyes. "In case you've forgotten, I'm not here because I like writing. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the course. And, since I'll be hating it anyway, it doesn't really matter _what_ I'll be forced to write."

Anna's eyes grew a little more sad as she answered. "Well, how about contemporary? We could write about two college students, or business rivals, or maybe a rivalling sport team! Or we could-"

"Just tell me what to do, Anna."

"Right! Well… you could, euh, yes! You could start making a list of male and female names, first and last names. For a story this large, we're going to need a lot of names, and I always find it comes in handy to have a list ready."

Elsa nodded. "That I can do."

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><p>Anna had been writing for nearly forty minutes when he hand started to feel numb and she decided to take a little break. From her glances at Elsa's sheet, she knew that the blonde had already compiled quite a list of names. Even if that would be all she'd do during the course, at least she'd have done something.<p>

She looked down at her own notebook. She was quite content with the result of her writing. She had rewritten Sleeping Beauty. Replacing the Princess with a Prince was maybe not the most original way of rewriting a story, but Anna had decided it would have to make do for this assignment. At the end of the story, the princess' kiss didn't wake the prince up, but the kiss from the prince in a neighbouring kingdom did. Yes, she was quite proud of her work. She'd just have to type it all out and then she could hand it in on Thursday.

She felt the piercing blue eyes looking at her before she had even seen it.

"Something wrong?"

"Your handwriting…" Elsa started. "It's a complete mess."

"Hey! And I bet your's is just so- Oh."

Elsa's handwriting was as reserved and neat as her personality, all letters neatly separated and completely straight. Anna's words seemed terribly messy, all jumbled together, smudges of ink occasionally covering certain parts.

"I guess you got me there," she smiled shyly. For some reason, she didn't like being called out on anything like that. Which was strange, because normally she couldn't care less.

Elsa merely shook her head, before returning her attention to her own sheet of paper. "How many names do you think we need?"

"Oh, I think this amount is just about right," Anna piped. "If we need more, we can make them up on the spot."

The bell rang loudly, causing Anna to jump up a little. Elsa merely slid her stuff in her bag, got up from her seat, and walked off.

_Not even a 'goodbye' or 'see you on Thursday'? _Anna grumbled internally. _Oh well. We're making progress. Can't expect too much too soon._

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><p>Later that day, Anna, Kristoff, and their best friend Rapunzel sat around the dining room in the apartment Anna and Kristoff shared, it's surface covered in books, ranging from biology to economics and modern languages.<p>

Homework sessions like these had become regular for the three friends. They never got as much work done as they could have done on their own, but at least it was an additional motivating factor to actually sit down and do the homework. And, as an extra bonus, if anyone of them didn't understand something, they could help each other.

Kristoff sat hunched over his economics, while Rapunzel was working on some mathemetical formulas. Anna, however, was struggling with her newest course: French. After a while, she decided that, if she wouldn't get help with this, she'd throw the book across the room.

"Hey, guys, any of you good at French?"

"Why did you choose French?" Kristoff immediately bounced back. "No one speaks French. It's a dead language!"

"No, silly. That's Latin," Rapunzel came in between. "I have a French aunt, so maybe I might be able to be of use, Anna."

"Great, I don't understand these sentences. It's about negations, but I don't know-"

Rapunzel grabbed the book and started reading, her brows slowly knitting together.

"So, if you want to say you didn't eat… you get _ne manger pas_, if I'm reading this correctly."

"Yes, but why does the next sentence say _Ce n'est pas vraiment_?"

"That's because- Well… I don't know, really…" Rapunzel lowered her head in defeat. "Sorry, I guess I wasn't as useful as I hoped."

"No matter," Anna grumbled, dragging her chair to the nearby computer. "I'll just leave it for the next class. I have some stuff I need to type up anyway. Creative Writing assignment is due Thursday, but I might as well hand it in now, right?"

"How's the Ice Queen treating you, feisty-pants?" Kristoff smirked.

Anna lowered her eyes a moment before answering. "Good. I think. Well, not as bad as it was at first. So that's good? We're talking to each other, instead of me talking and her ignoring me…"

Rapunzel raised her eyebrows slightly. "How did you get her attention?"

"I flicked her ear with my finger…" Anna blushed.

"YOU DID WHAT?" Kristoff burst out, not managing to keep himself from laughing loudly. "And she didn't retaliate? Slap your face, drown you in the snow, have some people throwing snowballs at you?"

"No…" Anna muttered, her blush slowly extending to her throat.

"What aren't you telling us, Anna?" Rapunzel immediately asked. "And don't say nothing!"

Anna grimaced at how well her friends knew her. "Well, last week, when I was going home, those two gorillas from the team walked up to me and took my coat, laughing as I tried to get it back. And then, all of a sudden, Elsa was there. She just told them to leave me alone, and then they did. Well, they took off with my coat, but they did leave me alone…"

Kristoff's laughter died down. "Maybe she's not as bad as everyone says she is. Truth be told, she and her group stick to themselves most of the time. Even though they're the absolute most popular people, I never actually see them bully anyone."

Rapunzel nodded. "So you had to walk home through the snow, without your coat? But which coat did they take, I saw you in the same one as always this morning?"

"No, and yes. Elsa sort of gave me her jacket so I wouldn't freeze to death outside. And the next morning, when I wanted to pick up my books from my locker, she just stood there. Holding my coat. It was _so_ weird!"

Both Rapunzel and Kristoff looked at her in silence, not exactly sure what to say. After a while, the burly blonde boy broke the silence. "Well, I guess that was nice of her."

"Yeah," Anna muttered, her mind wandering off. "I guess it was."

* * *

><p>Thursdays. Anna absolutely hated Thursdays. Starting the day off with two full hours of biology was bad. After that, she had Physical Education, which was even worse. And as if that was not enough, an hour of French following the previous two courses. And that's where she found herself now. She had to admit, though, she had sort of zoned out halfway through Mrs. Belle's explanation of the grammatical inconsistencies they had to understand for their test.<p>

When the bell finally rang, Anna's first instinct as to jump up and bolt out of the room, enjoying her break before she had to go to Creative Writing, the only course today she did not compeltely despise. But she could not leave just yet. Rapunzel and Kristoff had convinced her that she really needed help with her French, and who better to ask than the teacher?

"Uh, Mrs. Belle?"

"Yes, Ms. Oaken?"

"I'm having a lot of trouble with the grammar… the vocabulary isn't too bad, but the grammar…"

The teacher nodded understandingly. "Yes, I thought as much. But, honestly, you haven't really been paying attention, have you?"

"I try!" Anna exclaimed in a whiny voice, raising her arms in defense.

"I know, I know. I didn't mean to suggest you didn't."

"So, could you give me some extra tutoring?"

"I'm afraid not, Anna. My schedule is already very busy. You could ask one of your classmates, or even someone from a higher class."

"Could you suggest someone? I need someone _really_ good."

"Well, there's one student. Her name's Elsa Arendelle. I don't know if she'll say yes, but you can always ask. Asking never hurts, does it?" The teacher gave her a kind smile before leaving the classroom herself.

_With Elsa, you never know what will and won't hurt_, Anna thought to herself.

The Creative Writing class is almost done. Anna spent most of the time drafting a story, occasionally asking Elsa's opinion. The older girl, however, seemed to remain mostly indifferent to any of Anna's proposals. A few minutes before the bell rings, Anna huffs audibly and leans back. "I'll finish this at home over the weekend."

Elsa only nodded in reply.

"Well class. That's it for this week. Be sure to e-mail me your weekly assignment before midnight, or it will not be graded, and you will fail the course."

Anna couldn't help but smile a little when Elsa suddenly turned her head towards her, a questioning look in her eyes.

"Don't worry, Elsa. I handed it in a few days ago," she smiled.

As Elsa nodded and started gathering her stuff in her bag, ready to leave at a moment's notice.

"Hey, Elsa. I was wondering..."

"Yes?"

"Well, err... Could you maybe tutor me in French? I really need to pass but I-"

"No."

_Well, that was snappy,_ Anna thought to herself. _But I won't give up so easily._

"Please? I really need the help..." She clasped her hands together and pulled off her best puppy-eye-look, hoping to change the elder's mind.

"I said no, Anna."

"But I have a test next week, and I can't start the course with a fail on my first test!"

"Apparently," Elsa begun, "you also need help understanding English. My answer is still no."

And then she was gone. Anna blinked a few times, still staring at the location where her partner had just stood.

_Well, damn._

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that's another chapter down! (Geez, this is going faster than I thought...) Please let me know what you think! :)<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: Fourth chapter is here (Finally!) Sorry for the delay on this one. I had this chapter written out in its entirety when I published the last. But then I wasn't very happy with it, and I wanted to include some of the issues mentioned in PMs and reviews, so I deleted everything and started writing again. Please forgive me?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen. And that makes me sad.**

**Warning: (Unrelated) Elsanna coming up. If that disagrees with you, please stop reading.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 4<p>

Come Monday, Anna was slightly panicky. The dread of her French test on Wednesday lingered over her usual excitement like a stormy cloud on a summer day. She had asked everyone she knew, but no one had agreed to tutoring her. She had made up her mind, though. Today, she would convince Elsa to be her tutor. She just didn't know how.

When Anna barged into the classroom, Elsa already sat at their usual table. Anna slumped down on her chair, releasing a deep sigh, before inhaling equally deep.

"Hey, Elsa... about that tutoring I asked about last week..."

"No, Anna."

"Please? I don't want to flunk my first test!"

"Still, no."

"I'll pay you! In money, or chocolate, or both, or whatever you want."

"Anna, please. How often are you going to make me say it?"

"You could say yes, and then I'll stop pestering you!" Anna tried to pull off her puppy eyes again.

Elsa felt a strange feeling churning in her stomach, but quickly dismissed it. After all, she had skipped breakfast, so that was a perfectly reasonable explanation.

"I'm sorry, Anna. Whatever you say, I won't change my mind."

The hopeful look on Anna's face disappeared immediately, being replaced with a look of deep disappointment. Elsa saw the sadness in her eyes, and for some reason, it felt as if an iron fist had clamped around her heart.

_What? What is this? I say no to people all the time. Anna is no different from all the others. Still, why do I feel so bad about it now? That's never happened before!_

"Fine, I'll tutor you." _Wait, what? Did I really just say that? Why would I do that? Damn you stupid mouth._

Anna's head jerked up, a bright smile gracing her features again, and the sparkle of hope having returned to her eyes. "Really? I mean, really? That's unexpec- I mean, that's great! Awesome! Are you available today?"

Elsa wasn't sure why, but she couldn't help but smile at Anna's enthusiasm. _Well, if I made her this happy, then surely it can't have been a bad decision, right? Right?_

Before either one of them could say anything more, Mr. Purnell walked into the room and started his class.

"Good morning everyone. Mrs. Elinor and I have finished grading last week's assignments, you'll get your grades individually in a minute. This week's assignment will be to take a scene from any novel you've recently read and expand on it. For instance, something that is only mentioned fleetingly in the novel, and write it out into a full scene. Please add the original from the novel as well, for reference purposes. Be sure to have handed it in by the end of class next Thursday."

"So," Elsa started. "I'll be handling this week's assignment, right?"

"Yes! Or no. I can do it if you want? I really don't mind!"

Elsa smiled, but shook her head decidedly. "No Anna. I can't let you do all the work. However much I'd like to..."

"Well, ladies," Mr. Purnell suddenly said, standing right behind them. "We were very impressed with your assignment. We've given you an 80/100."

Anna threw her hands up in the air in celebration, accidentally hitting Elsa in her face.

"Oh my god! I'm so, so sorry Elsa! I didn't mean to- Of course, I didn't mean to hit you. You know that. Right? Or maybe you don't? Well, I didn't mean to hit- I already said that. I'd never hit you in the face on purpose. Or anywhere else, really, but certainly not your face. It's too gorgeous!"

Anna's words came out of her mouth so quickly they almost slurred together. Upon realizing what she just said, her face turned an even deeper shade of crimson, and Elsa would not have been surprised to see steam coming out of her ears. "I didn't mean you're gorgeous!" Anna continued awkwardly. "Not that I mean you're _not_ gorgeous, I just didn't mean to actually _say_ that-"

"It's okay, Anna. Breathe," Elsa urged, feeling a slight flush coming to her own cheeks and eager to get the awkward exchange over with as soon as possible. Anna's voice had gotten loud enough for the entire class to be able to overhear their conversation, and Elsa wasn't entirely certain about her own facial expression.

The rest of the class went down quietly, both women working on their own texts, interactions between them kept to a minimal. Judging by Anna's red cheeks, she was still somewhat embarrassed by her previous rambling, and Elsa was trying to sort out her own feelings, all the while trying to get her assignment finished before the end of class.

_I'd really hate to have to do this at home. But I can't think about two things at the same time. Just forget about Anna for a while. You can think about her tonight._

Upon thinking the final sentence, Elsa felt a familiar warmth coming back to her face.

_Damn it, Elsa. Not like that. Not like that at all!_

When the bell rang, Elsa packed her stuff and walked off without thinking, ready to get to her next class. When she was about halfway through the hallway, she suddenly heard Anna's voice calling her from behind. She turned around, coming face to face with the slightly panting girl.

"Geez Elsa, you walk fast," she huffed. "Not that that's a bad thing! Well, it is if someone's chasing you. Depends on who's chasing you, I suppose. If it's a creep, then walking fast is good. But if-"

"Anna!" Elsa interrupted.

"Right, rambling again. Sorry. I just wanted to make an appointment. You know for the tutoring."

_Right. The tutoring... Well, I promised, so I'll just have to get it over with._

"I have class right now. If you want, you can wait in the library, and I'll meet you there in an hour?"

Anna nodded pensively, after which she opened her mouth. She hesitated for a moment and then closed it again, deciding it better not to say anything more.

* * *

><p>Mathematics was always a mess, Elsa realized as she watched her classmates throwing pieces of paper at each other while their teacher, the scrawny Mr. Weaselton, attempted to explain one of the exercises. Then again, Elsa didn't really mind. She'd never had difficulty with any of her school subjects, so paying attention was generally optional.<p>

"Elsa, catch!"

Elsa turned around to catch a bag of candy, apparently thrown by Hans. While she quietly passed the bag along, not really caring whether the teacher noticed or not, she eyed the clock again. For some reason, this class seemed to go both way too fast, and painfully slow at the same time.

_For some reason? Don't fool yourself, Elsa. You're nervous. For tutoring Anna._

Hans casually walked over to her table, and sat down on its edge. "Elsa! You're coming, of course?"

"Coming? Coming where?" Elsa replied, silently berating herself for not paying attention to her friends.

"Mulan, Merida and I were just telling you about our plan to go to the mall. You were nodding constantly, so I assumed you would be coming..."

Her friends stared at her expectantly. "I'd love to-"

"Great!" Hans bellowed loudly.

"But I can't," Elsa finished her sentence, annoyance with Hans' manners plain in her voice.

"What? Of course you can. This is the final class, remember?"

"I'm tutoring."

Merida chuckled. "I think you're mistaken, dear. Elsa Arendelle doesn't tutor, remember?"

"She does today," Elsa replied quietly.

"Really," Mulan chipped in. "And who got you to actually agree to that? Surely you gave them the usual icy-glare treatment?"

"Anna needs help with her French."

Her three friends stared at her, wide-eyed and gaping mouths, for a few seconds. Hans was the first to recover.

"Can I come too? I know a thing or two about French ki-"

Merida's slap to the back of his head interrupted his sentence, and Elsa noticed both women looking at her peculiarly. "Well, have fun then. Tell Anna we said hi?" Merida and Mulan shot each other a strange glance, but Elsa didn't notice. The bell was ringing, and she was already stuffing her book back in her bag.

* * *

><p>When Elsa walked into the school library, she was astounded by the amount of ruckus around her. A large group of first-year students were running around the large open space, yelling and laughing at each other. The librarians attempted to calm them down, but were largely unsuccessful.<p>

_This scene is somewhat reminiscent of zookeepers chasing after escaped monkeys_, Elsa thought as she walked towards the silent redhead, sleeping in the corner. Her soft snores were hardly audible over the noise in the library, and Elsa frowned a little as she watched a small trail of drool running from the corner of her mouth.

"ANNA!"

Anna's eyes immediately shot open as she jumped up, throwing the chair on which she had been sitting to the floor.

"Yes! Present! Here! Awake!"

Elsa shook her head, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Let's go."

"Go? I thought you were going to tutor me? Don't tell me you changed your mind, because if you did, I'll totally..."

"You'll totally what?"

"Never mind," Anna muttered quietly.

"I didn't change my mind. We're just not going to sit here. We'd have to scream and yell to make ourselves audible. And I don't think the librarians will have any luck shutting them up anytime soon."

Anna nodded in agreement. "So, where are we going?"

"There's a little coffee shop across the street. Oh, and you have some drool in the corner of your mouth..."

* * *

><p>The little shop was quiet, nearly deserted even, when Anna and Elsa walked in. Elsa threw her bag down by a table near the window, motioning Anna to sit.<p>

"Get out your books, I'll be right back."

Anna looked confused, but followed the order nonetheless. Elsa wasn't sure why she was doing what she was going to do, but she walked up to the counter, and ordered two cups of hot chocolate with whipped cream, immediately paying for both, after which she returned to the table and sat down.

"So. French. What do you not understand?"

"Can we start with negations?"

"Sure. Show me your worksheet."

Elsa looked the practice sentences over quickly, spotting the mistakes and deducing why Anna had made them.

"Okay, you know that you put _ne pas_ around the verb to make a negation. But you never get _ne c'est pas_. _C'est_ is not a verb. It's a contraction consisting of _ce_ and _est_, the latter being the verb. Since you never get two vowels after each other, it's pulled together. The same goes for its negation. It becomes _ce n'est pas_."

"Right. That makes perfect sense," Anna muttered, quickly writing Elsa's explanation down. She looked up in surprise when someone placed a cup of hot chocolate in front of her. "No, no! I didn't order anything! I didn't even bring money..."

"It's already paid for," the waiter smiled, walking away to help someone waiting at the counter.

Anna's eyes grew a little wider. "Y-you bought me hot chocolate? With cream?"

Elsa only responded with an indistinct sound from her throat.

_Way to go, Elsa. That sound wasn't weird at all. No, really, why don't you just resort to grunting all the time from now on?_

"Thank you," Anna's soft voice broke through her reveries. Elsa cleared her throat audibly. "You're welcome. You brought chocolate to the class last week. I figured I'd repay you."

"That chocolate was for-"

"Yes. Let's not go there," Elsa smiled as Anna's voice trailed off. "Can you translate sentence three for me?"

"_Mon chevalle ce n'est pas bleu. _My hair is not blue. Right?"

Elsa chuckled a little. "Almost. Hair is _cheveux_. _Chevalle_ means horse."

"Oh... okay."

"But the negation was correct. So, I think you mastered negations."

"What about _ne penser rien_?"

"Oh, right. The exceptions. Some negative words, such as nothing, never, none, no one, and no more, have special translations. _Ne rien, __ne aucune, ne personne _and _ne_ plus respectively."

Elsa repeated the list more slowly, allowing Anna to copy them down. "So that's it for the negations?"

"Yes. What else do you need to know for your test Wednesday?"

Anna pulled a paper from the front of her book and stared at it for a few seconds. "Negations, present tense and past tense."

"All simple stuff, then," Elsa smiled, reaching for the book. "Let me read this over for a bit."

While Elsa read the explanation of the tenses in Anna's book, she marvelled at the simplicity of basic French classes. She would have no trouble explaining this to Anna, who seemed an eager and quick study. Her attention was suddenly drawn from the book when she heard Anna's moan from across the table. Dropping the book back to the table, Elsa stared at Anna with her eyes wide.

Anna had slapped her hand across her mouth, the red colour quickly returning to her throat and cheeks. "It's not what you think! Well, I don't think it is what you think. I can't read your thoughts. I'd like to but- Oh dear, I'm rambling again. I just moaned. Well, yeah, you heard that. It sometimes happens when I consume chocolate..." Anna finished her rambling in a soft, almost shy voice.

Elsa kept staring at Anna for a while longer. There was a strange feeling in her stomach, but it was already disappearing, being overtaken by the urge to laugh. Despite her usual calm and collected demeanour, she couldn't help but burst into a fit of giggles, which eventually grew into a full laughter.

Normally, Anna would have been annoyed by anyone laughing at her expense. But today was different. This was _Elsa_. _Elsa Arendelle_. The _Ice Queen_. Everyone always said she didn't feel emotions. She never cried. Never laughed. This sound, it was almost magical to Anna's ears, and she basked in the knowledge that she had caused it herself.

"I-I'm sorry, Anna," Elsa eventually managed to say. "I didn't mean to laugh at you like that."

"That's okay!" Anna chimed cheerfully. "You have a beautiful laugh. It goes really well with your-"

Elsa quirked an eyebrow, looking at Anna expectantly and waiting for her to finish it. Anna, however, shook her head vigorously. "So, tenses!"

Elsa decided to drop the subject they had been pursuing, and started off with a brief but detailed explanation of French tenses. As soon as Elsa was certain Anna understood all the grammatical issues for her upcoming test, she slung her bag over her shoulder and got up.

"You're leaving?" Anna asked, looking up at her.

"Yes. I tutored you, as promised. We're not here as friends, remember? Just a tutor and tutee."

"Right," Anna muttered, not entirely capable of keeping the sadness from her voice. "But what if I don't understand something?"

Without thinking, Elsa reached for the pen and scribbled her number in the corner of Anna's worksheet. "Then you can call me."

Anna's eyes grew wide with disbelief. "And if I need tutoring for other tests?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Elsa answered flatly, before turning around and walking off.

* * *

><p>Elsa sat in front of her vanity cabinet. The ice blue walls around her reflecting the soft moonlight that came in through the window. She had undone her signature braid and was now moving her hairbrush through her platinum blonde hair mechanically. She had allowed her thoughts to wander around, eventually settling on Anna as their subject. It had been a ritual for Elsa to ponder over emotions or incidents in front of her mirror. Having discussions with herself in her mind helped her keep stoic during the day.<p>

_Why did I agree to tutor Anna?_

_Because you couldn't bear seeing her so sad._

_Why not?_

_I have no clue on that one._

_Not very helpful, are you?_

_I'm a part of your mind, Elsa. If you don't know, then how am I supposed to tell you?_

_*sigh*_

_Maybe your lack of friends has gotten to you?_

_What? I have friends. I have Merida, and Mulan, and Hans, Peter, and plenty others._

_None of whom actually know you, am I right? You keep everyone at bay._

_Not Merida and Mulan._

_Maybe. Maybe not. What else are you not telling me?_

_I thought you were a part of me, aren't you supposed to know the answer?_

_I do know. I just wanted you to realize it yourself. These feelings. They hardly feel like a regular friendship, do they now?_

_And what's that supposed to mean?_

_I don't know. What do you think it means?_

_I asked first!_

_Fair enough. You get along really well with Merida and Mulan, right?_

_Yes._

_When was the last time they made you laugh like that?_

_I don't think they ever did._

_Right. So maybe Anna is evoking something more than just friendly feelings?_

_Are you seriously suggesting...?_

_Go ahead. Tell yourself it isn't true, then._

_I'm not in love with Anna._

_Really? How do you know? Have you ever been in love?_

_Of course! I had a boyfriend, remember?_

_Yes, well... He was more of a status-symbol than anything else, no? Maybe you could even have called him a pet?_

_I'm not in love with Anna! I can't be!_

_And why's that?_

_She's a girl. She's two years my junior. I hardly even know her. And I am definitely not a lesbian!_

_If you say so. Then tell me, why do you dream of her eyes? And you know you find her quite adorable...  
><em>

_I. Am. Not. In. Love._

The buzzing of her phone drew her away from the mirror. She opened the text absent-mindedly.

"Hey Elsa! Sorry to bother you, but what was the negation of _nothing_ again? I didn't write that one down! X Anna"

The strange feeling in her stomach immediately returned, and Elsa could almost see her mental self smirking at her.

* * *

><p>Anna had decided to go over her notes one last time before going to bed. When she found she had not written the translation of <em>nothing<em> down, she had decided to text Elsa. Well, at first she had wanted to call, but that just seemed a little bit too eager, especially considering the time. So a text it was. But that was still easier said than done. What if Elsa didn't want to be bothered? And what should she even put in the message. Just asking the question seemed a little rude, no? So, maybe start with saying hello. But _hello _sounds so formal. Maybe _hi?_ No, too informal.

When that issue was finally settled, and the question was asked, Anna ran into another problem. Elsa didn't have her number, but could probably guess who she was just by the content of the message. Should she still sign it? And how? _Bye_ or _goodnight_ didn't sound appropriate. Ending the message with kisses, seemed a little too affectionate, considering they were not even friends. Suddenly, the memories of Elsa's laugh came rushing back to her, and Anna had decided to end the text message with a simple _X Anna_.

After sending it, her phone almost immediately buzzed in return. Anxiously, she opened the message.

"Ne rien."

She couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. The study date had gone so well, but apparently they really weren't friends... But then again, maybe Anna could still change that! She fell asleep shortly after that, still feeling a little sad, but hope having the overhand in her heart.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Elsa casually sauntered through the hallways, the usual clique of friends surrounding her. She had just finished her French class, which reminded her of tutoring Anna. A little too much so. She might not have shown it at the time, but she had actually enjoyed tutoring Anna, and her mind was frantically looking for new opportunities to spend time with the energetic redhead. Every so often, Elsa forced herself to remember that they were not actually friends. Just a tutor and tutee. And even that might have been a one-time-only occurrence.

"Elsa, are you even listening?" Mulan suddenly asked.

"No. No, not really. Sorry. What were you saying again?"

"I was asking whether-"

"Elsa! Hey, Elsa!"

Elsa's head whipped around faster than her neck would have liked. Anna's voice echoed through the hallway, causing everyone to suddenly look at the running girl. "Elsa!"

Elsa turned towards her friends, not sure whether to find an excuse not to talk to Anna, or to excuse herself to do just that. To her surprise, however, they were all gone. Elsa only had a few seconds to wonder whether people could literally melt away before Anna reached her.

"I totally aced the exam! I passed!" the younger girl squealed excitedly.

"That's... great, Anna..." Elsa sighed with a small smile.

"Yes! But I totally need you to tutor me again next week! We got more tenses, and other weird stuff, and I can't make sense of it, and Mrs. Belle was so happy to hear you tutored me. So you have to keep doing it! Not like I'm forcing you. I'm asking. Although, I guess I didn't formulate it as a question, did I? That was a question! Oh... wait! Elsa, would you please keep tutoring me? Oh hey! We're at the writing room already! How did we get here this fast? And why am I practically running?"

"Short legs," was the only thing Elsa could muster up in response. "And yes, Anna. I'll find some time to tutor you next week."

"Thanks!" Anna chirped while wrapping her arms around Elsa, who tensed up in surprise. Feeling the tensing of muscles, Anna quickly let go and stepped back. "Sorry. I get a little enthusiastic sometimes."

"I've noticed."

They sat themselves down at their usual table, watching as the other pairs entered the room and took their places as well. After a while, a few minutes before the class should start, Mrs. Elinor walked in. Instead of calling everyone to attention, she walked towards the table behind Elsa.

"James, Bill, I think we need to discuss something," she muttered, barely audible to anyone else. Elsa could see Anna listening in on the conversation as well. "I've noticed a recurring trend in your short stories, and Mr. Purnell tells me it seems to apply to your main assignment, Sorority, as well. Is there a particular reason that all your stories feature two women, one blond and one red-haired?"

The boys muttered something incomprehensible in response. "I just wanted to let you know that we've noticed the... similarities between Skadi and Frostbite in your story, and two of your classmates. While we don't really mind, they might not be so happy about being your involuntary muses. You should probably approach them about that. Just food for thought..."

Elsa didn't pay any mind to the conversation, thinking nothing of it, whereas Anna suddenly burst into a fit of giggles. Once her laughing spell subsided, she turned towards Elsa and gently poked her. "Apparently we're muses now!"

Elsa merely rolled her eyes with a wry smile. "That shouldn't surprise you as much as it does, Anna. Of course people are going to notice a beautiful young woman like yourself."

_You just called her beautiful. What are you doing?_

_I didn't ask you anything. Just an objective observation. And you're supposed to be quiet unless I'm in my room._

_Ha! I am you. I would be quiet if you would really want me to._

"You- Do you- I- But- You-" Anna stammered, her blood flowing to her cheeks rapidly. "You called me beautiful!"

"I did," Elsa replied dryly, trying to find a way out of this conversation. "You're freckles are adorable."

_What? No! That's NOT what I meant to say!_

Anna's hand reached for a freckled forehead. "Do you really think so? I always thought them to be a curse. Oh! And you are beautifuller. Not fuller. More beautiful!"

Elsa couldn't help but let out a soft giggle, inaudible for anyone but Anna, who seemed to swell up with pride.

"Alright class! Time to get started, I think. Today we're going to..."

Elsa was grateful for the interruption, which effectively ended their awkward conversation.

* * *

><p>Anna sat down at the table where her friends were eating. Rapunzel, Kristoff, Olaf, Sven and Pascal were discussing one of the new teachers, but suddenly turned quiet when Anna sat down.<p>

"Uhm? Something wrong, guys? You're staring..."

"How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"You cheated on your French test, right? No way you could get 80% if you can't even make a negative sentence."

Anna gave them their best look of indignation that she could summon up. "I did _not_ cheat. I found a tutor!"

"Really? And who's so good at French that they were able to make _you _understand," Rapunzel teased.

"Elsa."

"Elsa Arendelle? The Ice Queen tutored you?"

"She's not that bad, Sven. You shouldn't judge people you don't know!"

"Okay! Okay! Just saying, she never tutors _anyone_."

Anna struggled with herself to keep from talking about Elsa for the remainder of the break. She could tell them about their tutoring session. Or how Elsa had laughed and giggled. Or about her incredibly sexy French. Or the look on that _perfect_ face when Anna moaned over hot chocolate."

_Wait? Sexy? Perfect? Those are... interesting words to describe her. Not wrong. No, certainly not wrong. But interesting nonetheless._

Her thinking was cut short when a large group of loud boys walked up to their table. Anna recognized two of them as the ones that had taken her coat from her a week ago. The rest of them seemed to be the other members of various sports teams.

"Alright, shrimps! We count to three, and when we're done, we want you to be gone from this table. Henceforth, this table is ours!" the largest of the boys grumbled. Kristoff looked like he was going to object, but a few of the burly men cracked their knuckles, discouraging him from doing anything stupid.

They picked up their trays in silence, making room for the bullies to be able to sit. Anna and her friends then looked around the cafeteria, looking for another place to sit, but all tables were occupied, and there were even students sitting on the ground against the wall.

"Great," Rapunzel sighed. "I guess we'll have to stand."

Anna wanted to suggest leaving the cafeteria all together, but was distracted by the buzzing of her phone in her pocket.

_A text from Elsa? What the..._

"Come sit at our table for now. Hans and I will talk to them later."

Anna took a deep breath before turning to her friends. "Hey, guys. We're going to sit at the big table near the window."

"Anna," Olaf immediately interrupted. "That's where the Ice Queen and her court are sitting."

"Trust me, please?" Anna muttered, before walking over to the table. She heard her friends following her, and their surprised gasps when the Royals, for that's what everyone called them, actually made room for them.

As they sat down, they felt the eyes of the entire cafeteria turning towards them, and the ensuing silence was deafening. Luckily, everyone seemed to overcome their shock or surprise after a while, and the conversations returned to their usual volume.

For a while, the tension around the table lingered heavily, until Hans turned to Kristoff.

"You play for the basketball team, right?"

"Yeah, I do..."

"So did you see last night's game on TV?"

Anna was surprised to find their conversation actually picking up, and both of them seemed to be enjoying themselves. Before she knew it, Olaf and Sven were discussing politics with Peter, while Pascal and Rapunzel were discussing the outfits and hairdos of random students in the cafeteria with Mulan. Everyone actually seemed to have a good time. She watched Elsa sitting next to her, eating with a small smile forming around her lips.

"Hey Elsa," she started, not loud enough for the entire table to hear them. "Thanks. You know, for standing up for us."

"Don't worry, Anna. Tomorrow you'll have your own table back."

"...and then Anna came home, stumbling through the door with her shirt on backwards, and her vest pulled over her face. She couldn't see anything, so she bumped right into the couch, and fell over it, landing on the floor!" Kristoff boomed, causing the entire table to erupt in laughter. "Not that story again," Anna grumbled, but she quickly silenced herself when she heard Elsa laughing softly next to her.

The others seemed to have heard as well, as everyone suddenly went quiet and looked at her with wide eyes, watching as Elsa's face grew stoic again.

"Wow! Elsa actually laughed. That's new. Haven't seen that since kindergarten!" Hans chuckled good-heartedly. "I guess you guys need to sit here more often. Laughing is good for her."

The conversations around the table resumed, and Anna was surprised to find Elsa talking to her, starting hesitantly.

"So... Kristoff is your boyfriend?"

"What!? Ew! No! We're roommates! Separate rooms! Very separate! Ew!"

For a moment, Anna thought she saw a flicker of hope or relief flashing through Elsa's eyes, but she quickly dismissed the notion. _That's ridiculous, Anna. Why would she even care who you date?_

"So where do you live?" Elsa asked, a little more confident now.

"The apartment complex over at Pemberley Avenue. You?"

"I have an apartment over at Forsdale Road," Elsa replied sheepishly.

"Forsdale!? That's where all the rich people live!"

"Yes, I suppose so," Elsa smiled.

The bell cut their conversations short, and everyone started gathering their belongings. Anna wanted to say something else to Elsa, but she and Hans were already marching towards the bullies that had stolen their table, who now seemed very eager to get to class as soon as possible, if only to escape the menacing pair. Anna couldn't help but stay behind and watch. For once, she couldn't care less whether she would be late for class.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The Skadi/Frostbite story referenced in this chapter is actually a fan fiction on this website, namely _Sorority_. So, go and check it out if you think it might be something that interests you. The story will be mentioned a few more times during this story (I finally made a plan for this story, so yeah...)**

**Also, go check out The Royal Commoner, which is my new story. (Yes, shameless advertising is kinda my thing!)**

**Also, sorry for the slow updates, but I'm not going to promise I'll be faster next time. Exams have been keeping me pretty busy, and I can't really give a proper announcement on update times for the time being. Sorry about that...**

**Reviews/Follows/PMs are always much appreciated. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

When Anna woke up that Friday morning, having had yet another dream about Elsa, she realised there was no denying it. She had feelings for Elsa. She'd dreamed about her 15 times. In the last two weeks. Then again, she thought, it wasn't that surprising. Anna had been at peace with her bisexuality for years now, and Elsa really was too beautiful for her own good.

_No one should be allowed to look that good. _

This realisation, however, raised a new question. _What am I going to do?_

Still laying in bed, she thought about that for a while. Obviously, she was going to fight for her. After all, why wouldn't she? The worst possible thing that could happen would be Elsa not returning her feelings. She'd survive that. Probably.

_That just leaves me with one teeny, tiny little problem... Elsa doesn't even consider the two of us friends yet... let alone something more than friends... So let's take this one step at a time. Step one: Befriend Elsa. Step two: Find out if Elsa's into girls. Step three: Find out if Elsa's into _me. _Step four: Well, that one should be pretty obvious. Good thing mom and dad always used to say 'if you don't play the game, you can be sure you won't get the prize.' I really should call them... and what? Thank them for a good life lesson at seven in the morning?_

_Although it's not really seven anymore, I suppose. It's already a quarter to eight._

_Wait... WHAT?_

By the time Anna had gotten to her feet, she was already doomed to be late for her first class. Well, at least she managed to get some philosophising done.

* * *

><p>During lunchtime, Anna and her friends were presented with their own table, completely empty. Unsurprising, really. Anna doubted if anyone would ever dare sit at that table again after the public scolding Elsa and Hans had given the bullies the day before. It had been... frightening. And that was only from the back, looking on from the other side of the cafeteria.<p>

Halfway during her lunch, Anna put the finishing touched to her plan – aptly named 'Operation Wooing Elsa' – and even though it was simple, she felt like she had planned a military campaign that could rival the Ancient Romans.

Shortly before the bell would ring, Anna got up, excused herself from her friends, and walked over to Elsa's table. People were already clearing their tables from the leftovers, creating a pleasant chaos in the cafeteria. "Eh, Elsa?"

Elsa's head whipped around, eyes widening in surprise slightly. Anna noticed and hid a grin. Exactly what she had hoped to achieve by approaching her now. "Yes?"

"I have to give a presentation for French... I was hoping you could help me out with it? Please?"

Elsa nodded, her face turning thoughtful. "We could have a look at it later today? I'm off at thr-"

"Actually, I can't. I have a doctor's appointment later... Could we maybe do it tomorrow?"

Elsa immediately shook her head. "Sorry, Anna. Mulan and I have plans tomorrow."

_Damn. There goes that plan..._

"No we don't."

Elsa and Anna both turned their attention to the Chinese woman on the other end of the table. Anna was impressed she had even overheard their conversation. "We're hanging out next week. Besides, even if we had plans for tomorrow, I'm certain that... Anna's education... you know, more important and stuff."

"Really, Mulan. I'm _positive_ we were supposed to go and-"

"Oi! Just go and tutor the girl, aye? Ye know ye want te!"

Elsa glared at Merida, who seemed largely unfazed. Anna started liking the blunt, sometimes even rude, Scot. Turning her attention back to Elsa, she raised her eyebrows, her question still standing.

Elsa sighed. Then paused. And finally, "fine. I'll meet you at the coffee place at nine. Don't be late."

Anna almost squealed, hopped up and down and clapped her hands excitedly. But that would ruin the Operation. So she just nodded and walked off.

* * *

><p>It was a few minutes before nine, and Anna stood in front of the little shop, watching the snow slowly. The cold started seeping into her bones, but going inside was not an option. Literally. Apparently, there was some kind of – well... something – inside. The place was so incredibly crowded, the last guy that had entered still stood with his back against the front door.<p>

She was happy to see Elsa walking up to her, her hands deep in the pockets of her jeans. Elsa looked up at her in surprise – almost as if she had forgotten Anna would be there – and then at the little shop in horror. "I can't tutor you in there..." she muttered.

"Y-yeah, I f-f-figured."

"Come on," Elsa grumbled, turning back around. "We'll go to my place. I don't have a roommate so we won't be interrupted."

Anna liked the sound of that. _Stop it, you dork. That's not what she meant._ She walked after Elsa, her teeth chattering audibly. Without slowing down, Elsa shrugged her coat off, handing it to Elsa. "Put that on. You're not dressed for snowfall, and the sound of your teeth is driving me mad."

Anna was all too happy to oblige. The walk to Elsa's apartment only took them five minutes, during which Anna repeatedly wondered about Elsa's apparent invulnerability to the cold. She was walking here, without a coat, a shawl, or gloves, and didn't even shiver.

Elsa's apartment was spacious. No, spacious was somewhat of an understatement. It was _huge_. Especially for someone living on her own like Elsa. The walls were dyed an arctic blue – how fitting – and most of the furniture was either white or a light shade of grey. Elsa's home also sported an abnormally large TV and a laptop that looked like it belonged fifty years in the future.

Elsa immediately gestured for Anna to take off her shoes – wouldn't do to ruin the white carpet – and manoeuvred her onto the couch. She mostly ignored Anna as she turned up the heat and walked off. Within seconds, she returned with a blanket, wrapping it tightly around Anna's shoulders, before walking off yet again.

_I could get used to this_, Anna thought to herself. After a few minutes, Elsa walked out of the kitchen, carrying two large mugs filled with damping hot chocolate. _I could absolutely, definitely get used to this_. Anna couldn't hide her grin.

"What?"

"You're pampering me."

Elsa looked at her surprised, then indignant, before becoming defensive. "No I'm not, I'm just-"

"Relax, Elsa," Anna smiled. "It's a good thing. Very much so..." _Okay, hadn't meant to be so forward. Stick to the plan, Anna. Don't muck this up._

Elsa just blushed slightly – who knew she what so easily flustered – and motioned to the mug. "Drink that before it gets cold. It'll warm you up a bit.

"Thanks," Anna smiled shyly. Today, her main goal was finding whether Elsa even thought about girls the way she hoped, and see if she could foster some kind of friendship. But, it wouldn't hurt to find what kind of looks or behaviour would get what kind of reaction from the stoic blonde.

They spent the next few hours working on the presentation, and practicing Anna's pronunciation. Occasionally, Anna threw in a remark of some kind, gauging Elsa's reaction. No matter what tone she used, how she behaved or what she said, she'd always get the same reaction: a faint blush and Elsa looking away with a distant stare in her eyes, before she'd return to the present, seemingly having gathered her wits about her again.

"So," Anna piped after they had finished her French. "Wanna grab lunch together?"

Again that confused look. "Why?"

"Hungry. Me. Food. You?"

Elsa brought her hand to her forehead and her elbow to the back of the couch, groaning loudly. After a few seconds, she looked up at Anna, who still sat waiting for an answer.

"Your lips have just turned their usual shade of pink, rather than blue or purple, Anna. Besides, we've finished your work, so you could just go home..." Elsa wandered off, apparently distracted. "But I suppose I can whip up something to eat if you're insistent on going all Tarzan on me..."

_Well, that went better than expected. A lot. Honestly, what was I thinking acting like a caveman?_

As Elsa made her way to the kitchen, Anna looked at the TV. "Is it alright if I turn your telly on?" she asked, trying not to sound like a little child.

"_Bien sûr."_

_Ugh, stop the sexy French._

Anna lost track of time staring at the large screen, not even absorbing anything, and only snapping out of her hazy state of mind when Elsa put a plate with delicious looking sandwiches in front of her. "Tea?"

"Uh, yes, please?"

Elsa flashed her a small smile, before returning with a pot of tea and placing it on the table in front of them as well. They ate in silence, and Anna marvelled at the deliciousness of Elsa's perfect sandwiches.

After Elsa had cleared the plates away and rinsed them in the sink, she grabbed her keys and jacket. "Come on, I'll drive you home."

"Ahw..." Anna whined.

Elsa actually stood perplexed. "What?"

"I don't want to go home yet..."

"Why... why not?"

"I wanna hang out with you!" Anna accompanied her statement with the best pout and puppy eyes she could produce.

"Why?"

"That's what friends do, right? Hanging out?"

"Anna, we're not-"

"Stop it!" Anna interrupted. "I know you don't think of us as friends," she started. _This is going horribly wrong. _"But I like to think we are!" _What am I doing? _"Maybe you think I'm too young?" _I am going to ruin the entire operation. _"Or am I not cool enough?" _Stop it, now you still can. _"If you don't want to be friends, I'll leave right now." _What am I thinking? _"But if you just give it a chance, maybe we could actually _become_ friends, rather than you just always being so damn aloof!" _There you go. You ruined it. Great job, Anna. Awesome. Really, I'm proud of you._

Elsa just stood, keys and jacket still in hand. Anna realised her outburst must have come quite unexpected – she didn't even expect it herself – but she refused to back down. After all, everything she had said was true. Maybe it hadn't exactly been the way in which she had meant to say it, but true nonetheless.

"Fine."

"What?"

"I said fine. What do you suggest we do?"

"Really? I mean, oh, um, we could watch a movie? Do you have movies?"

"There are some in the cabinet over there. You pick one, I'll... be right back."

Anna looked into the cabinet. There were actually more than _some_, she wondered, still partially recovering from the shock of her own outburst. She'd have to apologise to Elsa once she got ba-

_Perfect. I couldn't have planned it better myself._ A sneaky grin crawled onto Anna's face as she reached for the movie.

She had already popped it into the DVD player and was trying to figure out which buttons on the remote to press when Elsa flopped down on the couch besides her. She took a deep breath, taking the remote from Anna. "I don't think you're not cool enough or too young..." Her voice was barely audible, but Anna heard it perfectly well. "I'm just not very good with unpredictable people."

"I'm sorry for getting all confrontational like that," Anna said with an apologetic grin.

"No, you were right... I-"

Elsa had started the DVD, the title, _Blue is the Warmest Color, _splayed out over the TV screen. "Anna, I'm not sure if this-"

"Oh, come on? I heard it's a really good movie!"

"It is, but-"

"Can we please watch it?" Again with her puppy eyes and the pout.

"Fine."

Anna couldn't help it. She had to smile and wiggled in her seat. Truthfully, she had already seen the movie three times. It really was a good movie, but that was not the point. What were the chances of Elsa having a DVD dealing with lesbianism, just when Anna had started Operation Wooing Elsa? It _had _to be fate. _Right?_

Right.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so, yeah, I am well aware that this chapter is (a little) shorter than the previous few. My apologies for that. I have a (semi-)good reason, though. If all goes as planned, I'll be publishing a Christmas special in a few days. Hopefully before Christmas. 'Cause that would make sense, right? Well, thank you all for your unwavering support, you people are all awesome! As always: Feedback is most welcome, just leave me a review or drop me a PM! :)<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Extra long Christmas special is here! I'll have y'all know that I wrote this during a caffeine induced spell of insomnia, but I still think it's pretty good. That being said, the aforementioned insomnia is still present, so my mind might just be playing tricks on me. If the text below is an unintelligible mess... well... then I'm sorry?**

**As usual, I'd like to thank EVERYONE who has followed/favorited/reviewed/read this story. You lot are the awesomest of awesomeness! :)**

* * *

><p>Chapter 7<p>

Two weeks had passed since her last tutoring date with Elsa, and Anna was positive that 'Operation Wooing Elsa' was paying off. Elsa had finally allowed them to become friends, and in the past weeks they had been doing 'stuff' together six times. They had been for coffee twice, a stroll through the park once, watched another movie at Elsa's place, went shopping and Anna had even allowed Elsa to talk her into ice-skating.

She had conducted extensive 'experiments' to see how Elsa responded, and whatever she did, she always got the shy, blushing flustered Elsa in reply. This lack of variation was the _only_ thing that had Anna worried. Surely, if Elsa was interested in her in a romantic way, there would be _something_ that would cause her to slip or respond differently?

But those worries would have to wait. Anna wasn't about to let her Christmas break be ruined by such worries. She'd just continue her operation next year, see whether she and Elsa could be... more than friends.

"Hey Anna."

_Whoa! People? Oh shit! Of course. I'm still at school._

"Hi, Elsa! Whatchadoinghere?"

"I... go to school here. Just like you, remember?"

Anna pinched the nose of her bridge. "Right. That was the most stupid question ever. Not what I meant at all. I meant to say... 'Hi Elsa, what can I do for you?'"

Elsa smiled. That was becoming a thing. Elsa smiled a lot, at least when Anna was around. "It's raining pretty bad outside. I was wondering whether you needed a ride home? When you're done here, of course..."

Anna wavered. "That's really nice, Elsa, but I can't leave for two more hours, so..."

"That's okay. I'll wait in the library, if you want?"

"Um, sure?"

"Great."

That was becoming a thing too. Elsa actually went out of her way to do stuff for Anna, like giving her rides home in her car when the weather was too poor for Anna to comfortably walk.

She continued her work, only to be interrupted again. When she looked up, she realised that Mulan and Merida had joined her table. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?" she asked, only half-joking.

Mulan answered with a definite 'no,' whereas Merida replied with a much more concerning 'maybe.' Mulan nudged her shoulder before returning her attention to Anna. "No. We just want to talk to you... about Elsa."

"Okay. What about her?"

"You're Elsa's first _new_ friend in... a decade? Maybe even longer... We just want to make sure you're serious about this. Because... if you're just doing this because you need something from her... or to prove a point or something, then yes, you _will_ be in trouble."

Whereas others would have see two older students semi-threatening Anna, she realised she was only dealing with two concerned friends of Elsa. "No, no! I really like Elsa. A lot. You guys don't have to worry about that, really!"

"Good. Cause Elsa's really taken to ye," Merida glowered.

They both got up to leave, and Anna decided to take a leap of faith.

"Um, guys, can I ask you something? It's... sort of... you know... sensitive information..."

Mulan waved Merida away and sat back down. "What's on your mind?"

Anna was perplexed. She'd never seen this side of Mulan before. She always seemed aloof, haughty and inhospitable, but the way she was now sitting across from Anna she was almost... motherly.

"I was just... wondering... you wouldn't happen to know... Well... anything about... Elsa's _preferences_?"

"I'm guessing you're not talking about food or movies now, right?"

"Right."

Mulan closed her eyes and leant back. "Why are you asking, if you don't mind sharing?"

Oddly enough, Anna felt safe enough around Mulan to tell her everything. About Elsa's behaviour when they met, her slowly opening up, Anna's growing feelings, and even 'Operation Wooing Elsa.'

When she was finally done, ten minutes later, Mulan nodded. "Well. I suppose I don't need to tell you Elsa can get pretty much anyone she likes," Mulan started. Anna immediately deflated. This wasn't going to be good. "But Elsa hasn't had a boyfriend in the last 12 years. Or a girlfriend, for that matter. Trust me, we would know. I'm afraid I don't really have an answer for you... I doubt anyone other than Elsa does. But... let me know when you're ready to, you know, _make your move_, and I'll be sure to provide all the help I can, okay?"

Anna nodded. It wasn't exactly what she had hoped for, but it was still a pretty sweet deal. For some reason, Mulan's acceptance made her feel just a little more at ease, and the promise of her help might actually come in handy later.

Elsa was true to her word, and Anna found her in the library, surrounded by books and notes. When she noticed Anna, she immediately scooped everything up and stuffed it in her bag, and she was ready to bring Anna home in less than a minute. She hadn't been kidding about the weather – it really was raining cats and dogs.

Once they were in the car and Elsa pulled out of the parking lot, Anna started chatting, as usual. "So, are you looking forward to Christmas? I know I am! Mom always makes Christmas dinner, and she is _such_ an _amazing_ cook that I sometimes regret not living at home anymore. She lives on the other side of town though, so I can technically visit her as often as I'd like. So, what are your plans?"

Elsa merely shrugged. "Nothing."

"_Nothing?_ Aren't you visiting family?"

"I... I don't have any family left..."

"Oh... I'm so sorry..."

"That's alright, Anna. I'll just spend Christmas on my couch, listening to horrible Christmas songs on the radio while reading a good book."

"Elsa... You can't! That's no way to celebrate Christmas!"

"Don't worry, Anna," Elsa replied, giving her a wistful smile. "I'm used to it. It doesn't bother me, really."

The rest of the drive was spent in silence. Elsa seemed perfectly content without talking, and Anna was too distracted to have a decent conversation. She barely noticed when Elsa pulled up to her apartment building.

"We're here."

"Right. Thank Elsa!"

Anna left the car and ran to the front door, trying to dodge as many raindrops as possible. Kristoff wasn't home yet, but Anna hardly noticed. As soon as she was inside, she pulled out her phone. She had some business to attend to.

* * *

><p>Christmas day. <em>Ugh.<em> Elsa had been laying on her couch for hours, the television on but muted, and a very promising book laying on the coffee table in front of her. Unopened. She just... She just couldn't get herself to do anything. It had been this way for the past four years. Ever since she had lost her parents.

Memories like those always came back with a vengeance during Christmas. She'd remember all the happy times, the loving evenings, the Christmas presents under the tree... And she'd cry for hours on end.

Of course, to the outside world, she pretended everything was just peachy. Her emotions were her own business, not theirs. And besides, it wouldn't be fair to bother anyone else with _her_ problems, would it? To make things even worse, she'd be horrible company to anyone brave enough to try and socialise with her on days like these. Usually, it would take her until, at the very least, the second of January before she'd be ready to face people again.

She'd even gone and done the groceries for the next two weeks. Whatever happened, Elsa wouldn't have to leave the safe boundaries of her apartment. Not until all this madness was over, and she had her feelings in check again.

If only she could just read. But her mind would wander before it could even absorb the first three words of the first page. She was certain of it. After all, she had tried for three consecutive years. The book she had planned on reading for last year's Christmas hadn't been opened either. Not until Easter, that is. This year would be the same, probably.

She _had_ considered braving her feelings this year, though. Mulan was out of town. Hans had his own family gathering – twelve brothers demanded his full attention – and Merida had returned to Scotland to be with her grandparents and the rest of their family. Ariel and her parents were on a cruise. Peter and a bunch of his friends were out in some kind of resort. In short, everyone was gone or busy. And Elsa's resolve had crumbled before she could arrange anything else. It was probably for the best, she realised.

At least now she could wallow in self-pity without being disturbed. Without judging eyes. She wouldn't have to hear the whispers about her being weak, crying like a little girl that had lost her favourite toy. People just didn't understand. They called her the _Ice Queen_, for crying out loud. If that was not indicative of their ignorance, she didn't know what was...

A quick glance at the clock told her it was almost five. Four more hours before she would allow herself to go to bed. And then eight more days before she'd have duties to see to again. Eight more days like these before she'd be forced out of hiding, and back into the world of the living.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Elsa groaned loudly. That was her door someone was knocking at. Her neighbours knew better than to disturb her. Probably a group of singing children. If she'd just ignore it, they'd go away. They always did. And then everything would fine again. Well, perfectly peaceful dread, at least. That was all she could ask for, after all.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

They were persistent, Elsa had to give them that. But she was determined not to ruin their day by yelling at them, so she kept quiet. No need to break their little hearts. She wished for them to have the happiness that she lacked. They'd go away, and that would be that.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Or not. Maybe it wasn't one of those annoying choirs? What if one of the neighbours had an emergency. _Like what? Not enough food to prepare dinner? Or, God forbid, too much dinner and wanting to share? No. Just ignore it. If they ask you about it later, just tell them you weren't home. But what if it is a real emergency? Heart attack, choking danger, something like that? Well... same difference, really._

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Elsa. I know you're in there..."

_Anna. _

_No. Don't be silly. It probably just sounded like her..._

"It's me... Anna..."

_Damn it. _

Elsa slowly got up, wiping her cheeks to make sure to erase all traces of tears from her face. A look in the mirror confirmed her fears: it wouldn't matter if her eyes were this red and her skin this blotchy. She reached the door, and for a moment she contemplated ignoring Anna and not opening the door. _It would be so much easier..._

"Elsa. I know you're there, and I won't leave until you've opened this damnable door. I'm serious. I'll stay here until the new year if I must."

_Well, there goes that plan..._

She slowly opened the door a little, keeping it between her and Anna as a shield. "What?"

Anna didn't appear taken aback by Elsa's rudeness. Which ruined another one of her plans.

"Hey yourself," she smiled gently.

"What are you doing here, Anna?"

"Well... funny story... okay, not really, but still... You're coming with me."

"_What?" _No she wasn't. Elsa wasn't going anywhere.

Anna just shrugged. "I'm heading to my parents for Christmas dinner soon. You're coming along. I told my parents and brothers about you. You're officially invited over for dinner."

"What?" Elsa was well aware of her limited vocabulary. She couldn't help it. Anna was talking nonsense.

Anna merely sighed. "I told my family I had a good friend who would be spending Christmas alone, and I may more or less have asked them if it was okay to bring you over. Naturally, they said yes. My parents are looking really forward to meeting you. Brothers too. No one should be alone with Christmas."

"Really, Anna. I appreciate the thought, but I don't think that's a good idea."

Anna's brow furrowed. Elsa expected her to accept it, turn around and walk away. Instead, she pushed the door open further and walked in, flopping down on the couch and turning the volume of the TV on. "You have half an hour to get ready before we're leaving," Anna told her casually. "I really don't care if you look all pretty or... well... like this. You're coming along either way. Refusal is _not_ an option."

And with that, she turned her attention to the sappy Christmas movie that was playing. Elsa wasn't sure what to do. Sure, it would be _better_ for _her_ to go out and be distracted. But she didn't even know Anna's family. They'd probably hate her for being sour all the time. This was a bad idea. But she knew Anna well enough to know that she wouldn't give up. She never did, damn her.

Before Elsa was aware of having taking a decision, she found herself in her bedroom, holding one of her casual party dresses. It was black and tight, flaring around her knees in an alluring manner. She hadn't worn it in ages, but she was fairly certain it still fitted.

_But that doesn't matter, because I'm not going_.

She had already taken off her sweatpants and baggy sweater. She wasn't conscious of doing so, and only realized it when she almost tripped over it on the way to her vanity.

_God, how am I ever going to tell Anna I can't do this..._

She was already wearing the dress. Sure, it wasn't a hard piece of clothing to put on, but to do it without noticing? Really? She sat down to think about all of this for a moment.

_What would be the best way to explain my situation to Anna...?_

For some reason, she was pulling a brush through her hair, smoothening it after she had released it from the messy bun it had been in. Whatever her mind told her, her body didn't seem to have gotten the message.

_I just want to lay on the couch and cry my eyes out two more times today... _

_But is that really what I want?_

She had already applied lipstick and eye shadow to one eye. She was well on her way to being presentable. She might as well continue now. No way she could tell Anna she wasn't coming, despite already wearing a dress and make-up.

_No. I really don't want to be this depressed, pitiable creature anymore..._

Her make-up was done, and she was putting on her black pumps. She was all ready now. She just had to tell Anna... that... she'd come along? Was she really going to do this?

_Well, this can only end badly_, Elsa thought as she stepped back into the living room. Seeing Anna's bright and happy face, however, made all of it worthwhile.

* * *

><p>The ride to Anna's family had been... productive. Elsa now had all the information she could possibly need. Mr. and Mrs. Oaken, first names Kai and Gerda, had been married for 28 years, and had three children. The oldest was Erik, 25 years old, working as a banker in Denmark. Then there was Anna, 19 years old and... well, the rest about Anna was obvious. Finally, Anna's younger brother Anton, 17 years old. She knew about their jobs, hobbies, quirks and insecurities. She knew what to talk about and which topics to avoid.<p>

Yet she couldn't be less ready than she felt when Anna pulled up in front of the large suburban house.

Anna used a key on her keychain to open the front door, and as soon as she opened it, Anna's mother came hurrying towards them. Elsa immediately realised where Anna had gotten her beauty from. _Not that I think she's beautiful,_ Elsa immediately rectified her mind.

Anna and her mother hugged each other tightly, as if they hadn't seen each other for years. By the time they released each other, Anna's father had joined them as well. All too soon, they turned their attention to Elsa. "And you must be Anna's friend. Elsa, was it?"

"Yes, Mrs. Oaken. Elsa Arendelle. It's a pleasure to meet you," Elsa responded politely. Her upbringing had been impeccable, and in situations like these, it was the only thing she could draw on.

"I'm so glad you could make it! Anna told us about you, you know. I hope you don't mind. No one should be spending Christmas alone or miserable. And please, call us by our first names. There's really no need for formalities!"

Elsa merely smiled and nodded. Both of the parents returned to the kitchen, bustling around like a red-haired hurricane. Anna led Elsa into the living room with an encouraging smile. Another redhead, obviously Anton, said staring at a laptop. As they entered, his eyes grew wide. This was a reaction Elsa was not unfamiliar with. It was the standard greeting most boys gave her.

Anna slapped the back of his head. "This isn't a zoo, you dork. Say hi to Elsa, if you can manage to stop ogling her for a minute."

He gave a weak smile and wave as he muttered something Elsa didn't quite catch. "Don't mind him," Anna muttered. "It's the hormones, I think."

Anton was already staring at her again. Not her face this time. "Hey you perv! Stop staring. She isn't yours to stare at, and you better remember!"

Anton gave an indignant huff. "She doesn't have a boyfriend. Everyone in school knows it. So, unless you are planning something, I can stare all I want!"

Anna glowering was something Elsa was not familiar with. But really, she was happy not to be on the receiving end of that look. She wasn't sure she could have pulled off a more threatening look herself. They were distracted, both from the glowering and their blushing, by the opening of the door.

The greeting routine that had met Anna repeated itself, this time with a taller man – also red haired, of course – with a bushy beard. Once he disentangled himself from his mother and entered the room, he raised his brows in surprise. "Ah, of course. You must be Anna's friend. Erik Oaken, lovely to have you over tonight."

Elsa shook his hand. The family was a little odd, maybe. Certainly not what she had expected. But they all seemed good people. _Well, except for Anton... I'm not quite sure about him yet..._

They spent their time talking about school and work, until Gerda herded them to the dining room. The table had been made for six – an exact fit – and sported what looked like the finest chinaware owned. Elsa was seated next to Anna, and various conversations ran across the table within minutes. The food was heavenly and the company was good.

Halfway through dinner, Elsa suddenly felt her emotions overtake her. The entire scene was so warm and pleasant, it made her miss her own parents even more. She felt a lump forming in her throat, and before she knew it tears started welling up in her eyes. Before she knew what she was doing, she had gotten up and left the room, her hands covering her face while trying to repress her sobbing. She seated herself on one of the steps of the stairs.

She was so absorbed in her crying, she hadn't even noticed Anna following her. When she wrapped her arm around Elsa's shoulder, she startled. "Ssh. It's okay, Elsa. Let it all out. It's okay..."

After a few tearful minutes, Elsa started to get in control again. She lifted her head from Anna's shoulder – not quite sure how it got there in the first place – and muttered a feeble apology.

"Don't worry so much, Elsa. This is natural. I'd be worried if you hadn't been sad," Anna smiled warmly. Elsa merely managed to nod. "We... we should probably head back."

"Good thing your make-up is waterproof," Anna grinned. "Or you'd have looked like a raccoon now. Although, that might just have been enough to keep Anton from undressing you with his eyes."

Elsa couldn't help it. Anna was so... _good..._ she just had to giggle. To her surprise, no one sent her judging looks when she sat back down at the table. There were one or two half-apologetic smiles, but that was all. It had been a long time since Elsa had felt this... accepted.

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><p>Dinner was over. Elsa couldn't lie to herself – it had been great, and she did feel a lot better now. Anna had driven her back home, and this marked the end of a good- No, great- No, not even great: fantastic. Yes. A fantastic night it had been.<p>

"Anna," Elsa started, a lump again forming in her throat. "Thank you."

She knew it didn't cover it. It didn't even come close to the myriad of things she _wanted_ to express. There was so much bottled up inside that she wanted to tell Anna... But looking in those teal eyes, Elsa suddenly got the feeling that Anna understood. That there was no need to waste more words.

"You're welcome, Elsa... If you want some company before school starts again... You only have to call, and I'll be here in a hurry, okay?"

Elsa nodded. "I might just take you up on that offer, Anna..."

"Please do..."


	8. Chapter 8

**This chapter arrived later than I intended, and I'd like to apologise for that. I'd love to say it won't happen again, but that would probably turn out to be a lie in the long run, so I'm not going to promise such a thing. Frankly, when dividing my time between this story, The Royal Commoner, and two still un-published stories, I fear this one might have drawn the shortest straw. **

**One thing I _will_ promise, however, is that I'm not abandoning or neglecting this story! It _will_ be finished, it just might take a while. If you feel I'm growing too tardy in updating this, feel free to call me out on it. That should do a decent job of putting my writing into overdrive. Now, without further ado, enjoy!**

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><p><em>What am I going to do? What am I going to do? What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do? WhatamIgonnadowhatamIgonnadowhatamIgonnado Gah! <em>Anna smacked herself against the side of her head. _I have to stop this. I have to make a decision. Today!_

She nodded to herself in approval, her mirror image looking at her with a determined gaze. School had started again two weeks ago, and she and Elsa were still stuck in the same place. Well, she felt it like that. Elsa was probably content being friends, hanging out on an almost daily basis without any ulterior motive. But Anna most certainly was not.

She had been thinking about the next step in 'Operation Wooing Elsa' for a while now. She could either be bold and just ask Elsa out, but that didn't seem like the best idea. She could try and find out whether Elsa was actually into women first, but that seemed impossible without asking Elsa outright, and that could only turn into a disaster. She could wait for Elsa to take the next step, or give an indication of being up to it, but that might take like... forever. _Or_, Anna thought, _I could just do nothing and be happy that I get to be friends with her, forget about the whole wooing thing entirely._

Actually, no. That wasn't something she could do.

Today she would make a decision. Make a plan. Find a way to approach this situation of hers. Today! Not tomorrow, not next week. No. Today!

Elsa sat down in her seat and collected her stuff onto the tabletop. She was actually early, which was not something very common to her. Truth be told, she was starting to enjoy the creative writing classes. She tried to convince herself that it was because of the writing, but her inner monologue just laughed at her when she tried.

It was true though: she had started enjoying the writing. She and Anna had revised their work arrangement. Elsa now did every weekly assignment, while Anna worked on the main assignment. The workload was still divided in Elsa's favour, but Anna had insisted she didn't mind.

_Anna._ _Stop kidding yourself, blondie. It's Anna that's making this fun. Not the writing._ Elsa could practically see the personification of her thoughts standing in front of her, arms crossed and looking at her sternly. _You enjoy spending time with her and you know it. Now, when are you going to man up and admit it?_

_I do admit I like spending time with Anna,_ she answered her own thought. Her mind, however, responded immediately. _That's not what I meant and you know it. I know you know it because I am you and you know it._

_What?_

_Never mind! Just kiss her already!_

_WHAT?!_

Elsa had made a habit out of arguing with herself inside her head like that. A part of her knew she wanted to kiss Anna. Her rosy lips, her freckled nose, her blushing cheeks, her fiery hair, her perky bre- _Whoa whoa whoa, slow down me. I am NOT a lesbian._

_You so are._

_Am not!_

She sighed and shook her head, dismissing her thoughts as other students entered the room. She knew from experience that she looked rather... unusual when arguing with herself, so she made sure to only do it whenever she could not be seen by others.

She almost jumped out of her chair when Anna landed next to her with a loud crash and a yelp, apparently having tripped over her own shoelace. Anna, not in the least disturbed by this awkward entrance, just smiled at her brightly. "I brought chocolate muffins!"

Elsa smiled timidly, nodding in acknowledgement of that statement. Anna had made a habit of bringing chocolate, much like Elsa had the habit of inner dialogue. Truth be told, she preferred Anna's habit over her own.

Before she could respond, two boys walked up to their table.

"H-hi."

Anna turned her head around, quickly dispelling the annoyed expression at their interruption. "Hi! What'll it be?"

"W-what?"

Elsa shook her head slightly. "What can we do for you, is what she meant to say."

"Oh! R-right. Umm, god, t-this is a little awkward," the first boy muttered, hardly audible in the now relatively crowded classroom. "See... uhm, we're in this class too..."

Anna nodded. "We _know_ that. You always sit right behind us..."

"S-so you n-noticed that, didn't you?" he smiled shyly. The second boy seemed to be cowering behind him, gently pushing him a little forward.

"We write Sci-fi. And uhm... well... you know... we m-may have based t-two characters on you?"

Anna raised her eyebrows in a similar fashion as Elsa always used to do. _I'm rubbing off on her_, she thought with an amused grin. "Was that a question?" Anna asked, partly confused and partly encouraging.

"Yes? No! I think not... Uhm... Mrs. Elinor told us t-to uhm... ask you if that w-was okay?"

Elsa remembered that particular exchange well, even though it had been _weeks_ ago. That was the time she'd accidentally told Anna how beautiful she was. And completely embarrassed herself in the process. "I don't mind," she muttered, returning her attention to her notepad. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Anna shrugging and waving dismissively. The boys seemed... rather relieved that the conversation was ended.

Mr. Purnell started talking then, forcing all thoughts to the back of Elsa's mind. He rattled on for several minutes, after which they were allowed to get back to their own work. Elsa started on the new weekly assignment as Anna pulled out a hefty stack of paper and started scribbling frantically.

Even though Elsa was hard at work, after fifteen minutes, she noticed Anna had stopped writing and started fidgeting with her pen. Then she started tapping the pen onto the wood of the table. And then she started repeatedly clicking the pen while twirling it between her fingers. _What is she doing? I'm getting nervous just sitting next to her..._

Elsa tried to ignore Anna's fidgeting for a while. But that ended when Anna started biting on the nail of her thumb while tapping the pen on the table again. Just as she turned to Anna to ask her to stop, and maybe find out what was behind her nervous behaviour, Anna turned towards her as well, her face a bright crimson.

"Elsa!" she yelped, almost as if she only saw her for the first time just now.

"Yes. I've been here for the past thirty minutes, in case you didn't notice..."

"Heh. He he. It's pretty hard _not_ to notice you..." Anna chuckled nervously. _And what is that supposed to mean?_

"Everything alright, Anna? You seem a little... agitated."

"No! I'm fine... it's just that... I can't go and have coffee with you this afternoon. Something's come up."

_Is that all? That's no reason to be so nervous, is it? _Admittedly, the thought of not hanging out with Anna today was a little disappointing, but surely Anna didn't think she'd get mad or anything?

"That's fine, Anna," Elsa smiled, but Anna shook her head vigorously.

"I was thinking we could maybe go out later? Grab something to eat and see a movie? Or something...?"

_Dinner and a movie? Really?_

"Err... I'm not sure, Anna. That seems more like a plan for a date."

Anna blushed even redder, the pen she was twirling between her fingers suddenly slipping away and sailing through the classroom. "Exactly..." she muttered softly.

_Exactly? Huh? Oh dear lord... no no no! Is she... Is she asking me out for a date? Oh gods what do I do? Say yes! No! Don't say yes. I don't want her to think I like her in a romantic way! But why not? I mean, I do like her in a romantic way, right? Maybe! No! Definitely! This is so confusing... I am not attracted to girls. But I am attracted to Anna... NO! Yes? Who am I kidding, of course I'm attracted to Anna. _

"Elsa? Say something... please?" Anna's voice was hardly audible, but the quiver was not missed by Elsa.

"I'm sorry, Anna. I... I don't think that's a good idea, really..."

_What? Why did you say that?! You were supposed to say 'Oh my, yes that would be lovely!' or 'Absolutely, I'll buy us dinner!' or just 'YES!' Why did you decline? _

Anna's entire posture suddenly deflated. "Oh... I see. Never mind, just... forget I said anything." She chuckled slightly, but Elsa knew her well enough to know it was a fake laugh. The sadness in her voice, as well as on her face, were hard to mistake for anything else. That made Elsa feel even worse.

_But I'm not into girls like that. Not romantically interested in them. I can't give Anna false hope. That would just be cruel, wouldn't it? _

_Unless the hope isn't false, Elsa..._

_But it would be!_

The bell rang, and for the first time, Anna was the first student to leave the classroom. Elsa stayed behind, somewhat surprised at the sudden change in behaviour. Anna hadn't even said goodbye. She even left the chocolate treats behind. As Elsa reached out to the little box, something else caught her attention.

Three small, singular drops on the tabletop.

Elsa's stomach churned when she realised.

_Tears._

Anna was at her wit's end. Monday had been a disaster. After careful deliberation, she had decided to ask Elsa out. And that had backfired dramatically. She was turned down, and the fragile hope that had been building inside her was crushed like a bug on a windshield. And it had _hurt_.

But she had forced herself to ignore the pain. At least she and Elsa were good friends, and she would not let this setback ruin the time she spent with Elsa. Except that they didn't spend time together anymore. Tuesday, Elsa texted her that she couldn't drive Anna home that afternoon because of a dentist appointment. Wednesday she had texted Anna that she couldn't join her for coffee that afternoon because of a massive assignment for one of her subjects. Thursday, Merida had been waiting in front of her locker to tell Anna that Elsa was ill, but that she had handed in their assignment. Merida, by the way, looked none too pleased being a messenger. Friday, Elsa had called Anna to let her know that she wouldn't have time to walk in the park because she had to catch up on everything she missed on Thursday. When Anna had suggested coming over on Saturday to make up for lost time, the suggestion was immediately shot down. And none too subtly, either.

And now it was Sunday. She hadn't seen Elsa in five days, and it was starting to sting. Elsa didn't respond to her texts. Elsa didn't answer her phone. Elsa didn't even open the door when Anna had tried going over anyway.

_I understand her not being interested in me, but come on, this is ridiculous. She could just be like 'sorry Anna, I don't dig girls, let's be friends' but nooooo. Elsa immediately goes all 'I'm just going to pretend you don't exist until we've both forgotten about this.' And now I don't have any way to get in contact with her._

The bell rang, and Mr. Purnell started explaining this week's assignment. Anna was taking notes, making sure to jot down every little detail. Normally, that would be Elsa's job. But Elsa wasn't here. _Again_. She hadn't even bothered contacting Anna, or giving a reason for her absence.

_This needs to end_, Anna thought to herself, growing annoyed with Elsa's childish behaviour. _But how will I get Elsa to stop acting like a hermit and just return things to normal?_

And then it hit her.

"Elsa! Open this door before I go kung fu on it!"

Elsa put her book down. Typically Mulan. To be fair, though, she _had_ been ignoring her texts. She'd been ignoring all texts, simply out of fear that Anna would send her one. She knew she was behaving unreasonably, but she couldn't help it. She'd panicked. And now it was too late to reverse the damage and act as if everything was fine.

"Elsa, you have five seconds before I kick your door down!"

Elsa sighed. Mulan would make true on her promise, she knew that. _Better to avoid a scene_. She opened the door, allowing the Chinese woman to step in.

"You look like shit. Really, you look disgusting."

Elsa grimaced. "I'm trying really hard to find a way to _not_ take that as an insult."

Mulan smiled sweetly, before her face turned serious again. "Take it as you like, but please go and clean up. We're going out."

"No, we aren't."

"We definitely are. You can avoid Anna as much as you like, although I'd advise against it. But you're not going to ignore your friends. Hans and Merida are waiting for us, so get your act cleaned up so we can go."

Elsa weighed Mulan's words. _True, I have been a lousy friend lately. And maybe hanging out might take my mind of things. It would be nice to catch up. _

She quickly put on a proper outfit, rather than her pyjamas. _There goes my lazy Sunday night_. Mulan smiled approvingly. "So, what got your knickers all twisted?"

Elsa faltered while braiding her hair. "Anna."

"Yeah, that much I know. But what did she _do_? Assault? Murder?"

Elsa laughed, but there was no joy in it. "Nothing that bad. She... She asked me out for a date."

Mulan cocked an eyebrow. "So?"

"A date date. Not just a friendly date."

"I repeat, so? Just tell her you're not interested?"

Elsa sighed, now halfway down her braid. "But... what if I _am_?"

"Well, then I see even less of a problem." _Mulan always makes things sound so simple_.

"I can't be a _lesbian_, Mulan," Elsa sighed. "It's not... not me! My parents would-"

"Your parents would be happy if you were happy. If not, they'd be bad parents," Mulan shrugged. "Besides, it's not like they're here to judge you, right? If you like the little spitfire, go and tell her. Not that it's any of my business..."

"I'm just so confused..."

Mulan hooked her arm through Elsa's as she finished putting on her shoes. "Well, I'm not going to get involved in this I gave you my bit of advice. The rest is up to you. Now come on, Hans and Merida must be getting impatient."

Mulan drove them to a small cafe, nestled snugly between a large bookstore and a cafeteria, both of which were now closed. The cafe itself was cosy, with booths lining one wall and the bar lining the other. There wasn't much room inside, but that didn't really matter. There weren't a lot of people, either.

Two of the booths were occupied, and a single man was drinking scotch at the far end of the bar. Hans and Merida were nowhere to be seen. Mulan looked around in confusion. "Strange..." she muttered as she pushed Elsa down in one of the booths. The Chinese then turned to the bar, returning with two bottles of beer and placing them on the table.

"I thought you didn't drink?" Elsa asked, looking up at Mulan.

"I don't," she replied flatly. "I'm going to give Mer a call, see where they are. You just wait here, okay?"

Before Elsa could think, let alone respond, Mulan had already walked outside, pulling her iPhone from her purse. She brought it to her air and paced up and down a few steps, eventually pacing away from the window and out of Elsa's vision. Still looking at the window, she noticed someone plopping down across from her.

"I'm sorry, these seats are taken," she muttered without turning her head.

"I know," came the smug answer. Elsa whipped her head around so fast she could hear something snapping in her neck.

_Red hair._

_Freckles._

_Teal eyes._

_Anna!_

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><p><strong>I was planning to write the following conversation out in this chapter as well, but this just struck me as a nice spot to end for now. I'll try to get the next chapter out within two weeks. Well, no, I just will, because that should be totally doable.<br>**

**Also, if you read The Royal Commoner you already know this: I do happy dances for every review I get. Seriously. I love getting followers and favorites, but nothing quite beats a review popping up in my mailbox. So, if you appreciate the story, please take the time to write one for me? Doesn't have to be a long one! :)**

**All you people who reviewed/followed/favorited in the past are awesome people, and I can't say it often enough!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm so very sorry my dear readers. But, here's an extra long chapter to make up for last chapter's cliffhanger! Hope that makes things right again? :)**

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><p>Anna had everything planned. With Mulan's help, she'd get a meeting with Elsa. And then she'd explain herself properly. Surely, if Elsa wasn't interested in her in a romantic way, they could still be friends? But, truth be told, Anna was also angry. More than she had expected, and it only grew while she sat waiting for Mulan to drop Elsa off. And she had seen no reason not to tell Elsa.<p>

But now that she was sitting in front of her, looking her in the eyes, she felt her anger ebbing away. It probably had something to do with the way Elsa looked. She had large bags under her eyes, as if she hadn't had a good night's rest since Anna asked her out, her hair was braided, but it was a long-shot away from the usual immaculate braid Anna associated with Elsa. And her hair looked to be greasy and tangled, as if she hadn't washed it properly either. She even looked paler and thinner than she usually did, something Anna had not thought possible.

"You look horrible, Elsa."

"Anna?"

"You know, I was going to be very mad at you. Had it all planned out. But the way you look, I can't get myself to say everything I wanted to say."

"What are you doing here? Mulan can get back any moment and-"

"Mulan isn't coming back. Not until I call her, at least. She agreed with me that it was time you and I talked this out. You've been avoiding me all week, so this was the only thing we could do."

"I've got nothing to say, Anna," the blonde sighed.

"That's fine, because I have plenty to say. Seriously, Elsa, what are you doing? I mean, I've had a few boyfriends, even a girlfriend. But I've been rejected a lot in between. But none of those rejections were as bad as yours, Elsa. You could just have been like 'Hey, Anna, I'm flattered, but I don't think of you in that way' or 'sorry Anna, I only date guys' or just simply 'no thanks' would have sufficed even! But just running off like that and ignoring me for a week is a little extreme."

"I didn't mean to..."

"Well, you did. And, don't worry, I got the message. You don't like me. At least, not in the way I like you. Fine, let's just put this entire thing behind us and move on like adults. We can still be friends. I promise I won't make it weird. No lewd glances, no innuendos, I'll be a good girl."

"Anna, it's not-"

"I figured you'd say that it wasn't a good idea. But we still need to finish creative writing, and we will have to sit next to each other two hours each week. If you want to stay friends, great. I'm still up for coffee, walking in the park, watching movies, whatever. If you just want to get through the writing course, fine. But I'm not going back to those awkward days of you ignoring me just because of the fact that you rejected me-"

"I DIDN'T!"

"What?"

"Are you finally going to let me talk, Anna?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, sorry..."

Elsa's face contorted for a few moments, rushing through a myriad of emotions in less than ten seconds. Anna took a deep breath. This is what she'd dreaded most. Hearing Elsa's rejection actually put into words. She had convinced herself that she had been mistaken when thinking Elsa might like her romantically – well, not that she had needed to do much convincing on _that_ part – and that Elsa probably did not have an interest in girls. But to, maybe, hear that Elsa just didn't like _Anna_. Well, that would hurt. A lot.

"I really, really like you."

_Oh..._ "But? I feel a but... Let me guess, 'but not in a romantic way'?"

"Why don't you just... let me talk for myself?" Elsa cocked an eyebrow at her. _That's the Elsa I remember._

"It's all just really confusing," Elsa continued. "You completely overwhelmed me when you asked me out. I... didn't know you were a lesbian-"

"Bi-sexual, actually, but carry on."

"Fine, whatever. Anyway. I didn't know. And... I didn't expect it. I was brought up pretty... conservative, I suppose. My parents taught me that lesbianism was a bad thing. If I ever even thought about such things I'd go to hell, be disowned, the entire package, you know? So... I never really thought about it."

"I get that, Elsa, but-"

"Until a few months ago."

There was a long, lingering silence after that. Anna had some idea what Elsa could be implying, but that didn't make any sense, so she must have been hinting at something else.

"I didn't want to think anything of it, at least not at first... But after the first time I met you? I-I... I actually dreamt about you... Well, only your eyes, but still... That's the reason I kept my distance from you at first... I didn't want to get too close... But you wouldn't have any of that, and rather than being annoyed, I actually found your enthusiasm and persistence endearing. And then we became friends, and we had this... _thing_ over the holidays where I met your family, and I kept telling myself that this was what I wanted. And nothing more. If nothing else, only because you seemed to want this. And then it turned out you wanted... well, more? Maybe? And... I kind of panicked, because it went against everything my parents taught me... And when I finally came to my senses, it was already too late, and I was too ashamed to face you."

Anna nodded understandingly, her anger forgotten entirely. "So, let me see if I got all that right. You _do_ like girls?"

"Yes."

"But feel like you shouldn't?"

"Exactly."

"And you do feel attracted to me?"

"Very much, yes."

"Okay. That's good. Excellent. So... what now?"

Elsa sighed, slumping in her seat a little. "I don't know. At first I was determined to reject your advances... But then Mulan told me something... and, maybe we can just... grow into this? Take it very, very slowly?"

"You _are_ willing to... you know, be something? Together?"

Elsa nodded, and Anna couldn't rip her eyes away from her. Her eyes expressed a multitude of different things, ranging from affection to fear and anxiety. "Okay. Okay. Then we'll take it slow. Keep things hush-hush, at least for the time being. We'll just..."

Elsa smiled suddenly. "If it's not too late, I'd like to take you up on that date offer?"

Anna couldn't help the grin she felt spreading across her face. "It's never too late for a date with you, Els. Just tell me when you have the time, and leave the rest to me!"

"Is tomorrow too short notice?"

"No! Tomorrow's good. Tomorrow's perfect!"

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><p>Elsa stood in front of her mirror, finally content with the way she looked. She had been fussing over her clothes and hair for tonight's date ever since she had come back from school. Anna had acted completely and utterly ordinary – for her doing, at least – which had set her at ease for a while, but once she got home her nerves flared up again.<p>

All Anna had wanted to divulge about their date was 'dinner and a movie,' but Elsa had no idea what kind of restaurant or movie, so she had gone for a combination of casual and chic. Tight-fitting black pants, with one of her neatest shirts – navy blue with a high collar. She had kept her hair loose, taken one of her silver bracelets and her black boots with a little bit of a heel. She had spent nearly thirty minutes on her make-up, rather than the usual three minutes. She just hoped is was satisfactory, because there was no time to change anything now.

The buzzing of her phone caught her attention.

"Elsa! I'm outside! Unless you've changed your mind, you're most welcome to come and join me in my fabulous car!"

As it turned out, Anna's 'fabulous car' was a rusty old minivan she had borrowed from her roommate. Once Elsa stepped in, though, she had something to let her eyes rest on. Anna sat behind the wheel. Elsa's eyes first rested on her hair, which wasn't fashioned in her signature braids, instead being, like Elsa's hair, loose, and cascading over her shoulders like a fiery mane. She wore a black, cocktail-like dress, which seemed to reach down to her knees and hugged each and every one of her curves in a sublime manner.

Elsa was vaguely aware that she stood gawking for a few moments, before sliding into the passenger's seat. "You ready for this?" Anna asked enthusiastically.

"Yes. Yes, I am." She paused for a while. "Anna... you... You look..."

"Yes, Elsa?" Anna asked, only a hint of amusement in her voice.

"You look really beautiful..." Elsa hated how soft and vulnerable her voice sounded, as if she'd just said something she wasn't supposed or allowed to say.

"Thank you," was Anna's heartfelt answer. "I'd return the compliment, but that will have to wait until I've had a better look at you. Not that I think you're not always beautiful, because you are, but I'm sure you're even more beautiful now-" She giggled softly. "Never mind. I'll just take a good look at you later..."

"Uh, Anna, where are we going?"

Anna hesitated for a moment. "Well, you wanted to keep... this... secret, right? So, I figured I'd take us out of town, make sure we don't accidentally encounter anyone from school."

"Anna, that's... actually really thoughtful. Thank you."

Anna giggled a little. "No need to sound so surprised about me being thoughtful. Geez, you make it sound like I never think..."

"I wonder sometimes," Elsa replied dryly.

Anna actually snorted at that, before covering the lower half of her face with her free hand. "I'm sorry, that was gross."

"I thought it was cute." Elsa immediately felt a blush creeping over her face. "Sorry, that was a weird thing to say, wasn't it?"

"No, it was nice, Elsa... I'm glad you're starting to feel more... comfy."

"Me too."

The restaurant was one of those establishments that one could only describe as classy, luxurious, and expensive. And that was Elsa's conclusion when they pulled into the parking lot – not even having set a foot inside yet. They got out of the car and quickly made their way over the dark parking lot, leaving the cold behind them. As soon as they got inside, Anna turned towards Elsa.

"Wow."

"Wow?"

"Yeah. Wow."

"Uhh?"

"You look amazing." Anna was actually staring at her, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. Elsa had to admit that her attention might have lingered on those slightly parted lips a little longer than she would usually allow herself. Then again, this was a date and she was allowed to indulge herself. A little.

Anna confirmed her reservation, and the two were led to a small table in the back corner, away from prying eyes and windows. "I figured I'd be extra certain not to be noticed," Anna muttered, sitting down with a slightly embarrassed smile. Elsa merely smiled in return, turning her attention to the menu.

"So," Elsa started as the waiter placed their food in front of them. "Any subjects you deem fit for first-date-conversation?"

Anna snickered a little. "Let's not get into past relationships just yet. Let's see... I would go for hobbies, favourite animals and movies, but we've discussed those while we were friends. I feel like I already know everything there is to know about you!" Anna gave her an adorable pout.

"I doubt that. As for past relationships, my list would be... extremely short. There was a boy in kindergarten. We held hands. End of story."

Anna's eyes went as wide as saucers. "You've never been in a relationship?"

"Not really, I suppose..."

Anna suddenly flushed a bright red, stuffing her mouth with a large piece of meat.

"Are you alright?" Elsa noticed the concern in her voice, something that was rather unusual for her, and hardly ever happened around anyone but Anna.

"Yes. Fine. Peachy. I was just thinking something and then I had to put something in my mouth to keep me from blurting it out."

"Now I'm intrigued."

"No, no! Let's... talk about something else. I don't want to embarrass us both!"

"Now I'm even more intrigued, Anna."

"Well, if you insist..."

"I do," Elsa replied casually. _I'm not sure what I'm unleashing here, but we might as well get the awkwardness over with..._

"I was just thinking along the lines of 'firsts.' You know, first date, first kiss, first time..." Anna wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, her cheeks colouring an endearing shade of scarlet.

"Ah... right. Yes, this is my first date... And well yeah. The others would be my first too..."

The rest of the dinner was spent with less controversial and awkward conversational topics, and Elsa soon realised that she was having a better time than she'd had in a long time. Anna was the most pleasant company – kind, spontaneous, understanding, funny, interactive, gorgeous, sexy – _Yeah, let's rewind that a bit, shall we? Those last two are a little over-enthusiastic._

Anna insisted on paying, refusing to let Elsa even get near the bill. As such, she had no idea what their dinner had actually cost. Nevertheless, she figured it'd only be reasonable for her to pay for the movie. Anna had done her homework and managed to find a nearby theatre without any trouble.

As they walked inside, Elsa surprised herself by grabbing Anna's hand, intertwining their fingers as they marched through the lobby. Anna also seemed surprised, but judging by the look on her face, that was certainly in a good way.

Elsa blindly agreed with Anna on the movie-decision, not really caring what they would be watching. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she knew that it would become a poorly hidden excuse for staring at Anna anyways.

Surely enough, shortly after the opening credits, Elsa's attention drifted off-screen, towards the beautiful redhead next to her. Elsa felt like she was keeping her staring to a minimum (_okay, fine, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration_) and managed to do it quite subtly. After a while, though, Anna grabbed her hand on the armrest.

"I can feel you staring at me, Elsa," she smiled.

"Sorry!" The sound was almost unrecognisable, coming out of her throat as a yelp, rather than an actual word.

"It's okay. I'm... flattered."

Did she just imagine things, or was Anna actually blushing? Badly? She couldn't be certain. _Damn the poor lighting in here..._

Before she realised what the movie was actually about, the credits rolled by, and the masses around them slowly drove them back towards the parking lot. The start of their drive home was spent in an amiable silence, but after a while Anna took a deep breath, after which she landed her free hand on Elsa's leg.

"Is this alright?" she asked hesitantly.

"Hmm, definitely."

"Can I ask you some questions, Elsa? About this... about us?"

"Shoot..."

"Well, first of all, is it okay if I tell Kristoff about us? He won't tell anyone else, don't worry. He's just very protective of me, and he didn't like me going out with a guy he'd never met..."

Elsa pondered that for a few seconds. "If you trust him, sure. I guess that couldn't hurt..."

Anna shot her a brilliant smile. "Question number two, then... What are we? I mean... are we just dating? Are we actually girlfriends? Are we exclusive, or can I expect to see you with someone else next week?"

Despite her anxiety on the subject, Elsa released a soft chuckle. "Anna, I haven't dated in the past twenty years... So I doubt you'll have to worry about me dating anyone else anytime soon."

"Fair enough."

"That being said, I don't think I'd like seeing _you_ with someone else... so I guess that makes us at least exclusive... whatever we are. Can we, maybe, you know... Avoid labels for now?"

"We certainly can. And I won't be seen with anyone else. With which I mean to say I won't go out with anyone else, and not that I'll be sneaky about it and just make sure you wouldn't see me, that'd be nasty and I-"

"Anna. Rambling!" Elsa laughed.

Anna pulled up in front of Elsa's home. "So... final question. Is it too forward of me to ask for a goodnight's kiss?" Having asked the question, Anna's face immediately fell. "Wait, what? Why did I say that? We're taking it slow, of course that was too forward. I'm sorry, I initiated my awkward-mode again. I shouldn't have asked that. Really, I don't want to kiss you! ... Well, yes I do. But I don't want you to feel like you need to kiss me because I want to kiss you-"

"Anna! Rambling again," Elsa interrupted her, wondering if her face might actually become redder than her hair. "And... I suppose you can get a goodnight's kiss..." she added softly, almost hesitantly.

Even in the near-dark, or maybe because of it, Elsa could hear Anna's sharp intake of breath. It was silent for a while, the air thick with tension. "Really?"

"Really."

Anna leaned forwards, moving towards Elsa, leading her to do the same. Elsa jerked her head slightly as she felt Anna's hand cupping her cheek, but immediately leaned into the touch nonetheless. She closed her eyes, feeling Anna's breath coming closer and closer as the milliseconds passed.

And then their lips touched. Elsa felt a jolt of _something_ passing through her entire body. For a moment, the kiss was stilted, neither of them moving a muscle as their lips pressed together. Surprisingly, Elsa was the first to recover her senses. Rather than pulling back, as she had initially intended, she actually leaned forward.

Anna, apparently surprised that Elsa leant into the kiss, rather than pulling herself out, released a soft sound, a cross between a yelp and a moan. Not long after, she pulled back. Elsa immediately missed the contact, and, taking a look at Anna to measure the mood, leant in for a second kiss. Anna, naturally, accepted it greedily. The process repeated two more times, until Elsa suddenly felt Anna's warm tongue flicking across her lower lip, causing her to pull back in shock.

"Sorry! I got carried away! That was totally not okay. I'm so sorry, Elsa. Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry!"

Elsa breathed a few deep breaths. "It's alright, Anna. You just... surprised me. Let's leave that for our next date, shall we?"

"So there's going to be a next date then?"

"I would certainly hope so," Elsa smirked. "I couldn't have imagined how this date could have been better. Well, except maybe..."

"Yes?" Anna asked eagerly.

Elsa smiled a hesitant and shy smile. "Maybe just one more kiss?"


End file.
